Haunting Ground Revelations: Inter Spem et Metum
by ChaosSentinel
Summary: UPDATE 1/2012- Please read author's note in Chapter 1.
1. Author's Note and Trouble in Paradise

**Author's Note and Ch. 1- Trouble in Paradise**

Haunting Ground- Revelations: Inter Spem et Metum (Between hope and fear/ Part II) 2006-2012 by CoyoteLongshot

**-UPDATE 1/2012-**

**To any of my former readers who may still be out there in fanfiction land, I would like to apologize to you for letting this thing fall by the wayside despite my many claims to the contrary. I haven't visited the site in a long time, and not only have I neglected my own story, but also my friends' stories, and I'm truly sorry about that. I started this story at a very busy time of my life, as I was just leaving for college. Ever since then, school and work have dominated all of my time (though I know after this long that's hardly a good excuse), and though it had always been a personal goal to complete this, looking back on what I've written I can't help but feel that it's not worth adding to, at least in its current state. Over the last 5 or 6 years, I've learned quite a bit more about creating compelling characters, sentence structure, dramatic pacing, etc. than I knew when I started this. I also feel that I could have incorporated the symbolism and inference present in Haunting Ground a lot better than I did. Despite my feelings about my writing ability, though, this story still has a special place for me, and each time I read it I think back to all the good times I had with the old Haunting Ground community, who inspired me to try this thing in the first place. It's to them that I dedicate 10 more chapters that I've had lying around for some time now. I've been holding back on publishing them in hopes that I would one day find myself up to the task of completing this story. Believe it or not I still want to someday if I can ever find the time to give the old material a proper overhaul, but I mean, it's been six years, there is literally no reason for me to keep these to myself anymore. I've skimmed through the earlier parts of the story and tried to fix the more egregious affronts to the English language. The new chapters focus solely on Daniella, and I tried my best to create a feeling of loneliness and isolation with them, leading to some pretty severe mental and emotional consequences for her. I'll warn you- It ends on a fairly depressing note, and one not at all intended to be the end of the story when I wrote it, but reading it now it seems somewhat fitting. Sorry to anyone who's disappointed by how I left it off. A huge thank-you goes out to anyone who ever supported or reviewed the story, and I hope it's been as fun for you to read as it has for me to write. The new content is chapters 31-40. Thanks for reading.**

As always, Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Again, thanks to my good friends HazardousRaptor and CrimsonPromise, and to kawaiiRip, StuffedHewie, and Abigail Black, for reading/reviewing Part I and supporting me in this. It's good to know someone's enjoying it.

**If you haven't, please read Part I (Alea Iacta Est) first. **It's pretty old, so you may have to go searching through the archives. Note that this story gets into themes of rape and incest which may offend some readers, so ye be warned. Please review, and thanks so much for reading!

* * *

_"Oh, innocent girl,_

_who stole your virgin pearl?_

_Oh, innocent girl,_

_a beauty too bright for this world..."_

**Trouble in Paradise**

Maxwell Gray stood beside his small cottage, stretching in the glaring sun. By now they were already probably getting snow back in England, and he was glad to finally get some time away from the office. Due to the nature of his work, he usually did not get to go anywhere, and in his mind this little vacation was well deserved. He squinted up at beautiful green Mount Otemanu, the higher of the two mountains in the center of the picturesque island of Bora Bora. He lowered his gaze to the sandy beach, which was already spotted with people, whether they be businessmen on vacation like himself, tourists enjoying the sights, honeymooning lovers with stars in their eyes... it was the ideal vacation spot.

Gray was the head of the Security Service, unofficially but more commonly known as MI5, England's internal security and intelligence agency. This was only the second time he'd been on vacation since taking the position three years ago. Each day, he was in charge of the security of the entire nation, and it was as stressful a job as one would expect. Each day was filled with meetings, speeches, and new information. He was in charge of some of the most respected strategic and military leaders in Britain, and to have that responsibility lifted off his shoulders, even if just for a few days, was not only refreshing, but necessary. Now he was in a place where, finally, he could have time all to himself, not worrying about anything... or at least, that's what he thought.

As he was walking out of his bungalow and comparing the merits of scuba diving and tanning, he was suddenly confronted by his bodyguard, who stepped up beside him. Even in a place like this, someone as important as Maxwell Gray could not be too careful. He looked over at the guard, clad in a black suit and sunglasses, and nodded to him.

"Beautiful day, isn't it, Wayne?" he asked the man, who just nodded and grunted in response. "So what's going on?"

"Somebody has requested to see you, Mister Gray. He's identified himself as a member of the police force in Silverpool, and says he has some information that could be useful to you."

Gray thought, scratching his bald head. Why would somebody come all the way from Silverpool to Bora Bora to tell him something? Did they want to ruin his only vacation? Well, whatever it was this person had to say, it was obviously important. Hopefully nothing drastic had happened in his country in the two days he'd been away... but if that was the case, someone would have called him by now, or at least somebody who mattered would be coming to see him, not some small-time cop from Silverpool... something smelled fishy about this.

"What's his name?" asked Gray, looking suspiciously at Wayne the bodyguard. Maybe it was somebody he knew.

"His name's Stephen Rivers, sir. He said that he wanted to meet you at the Swordfish Bar at three today. I've been assured that this information is very important, and that it's in your best interest to obtain it."

Gray shook his head. He didn't know a Stephen Rivers. Whoever this person was, though, he'd come here for a reason, and so the least he could do was hear the man out, as strange as the situation was. So when 3:00 came around, he and Wayne walked into the bar, an open patio with a nice breeze, and saw the man sitting at a table. He was rather nondescript, brown hair, sunken eyes, the look of a man who never had much fun, and didn't smile a whole lot. But when he saw Gray, he did smile, and beckoned him over. Gray walked over to the table and sat across from the man, ordering a tequila from the scantily clad waitress, and looked Rivers square in the eyes.

"Why have you come here, Mister Rivers?" he asked. He wanted to get to the point, as he was still half-convinced someone was playing an elaborate joke on him.

"Well, first of all let me say that it's an honor to meet you, Mister Gray," the man said in a sibilant tone, extending his hand. Gray shook it briefly. "I've come to tell you something that could be of great importance to MI5."

Gray waited a moment, then said, "Okay. Well, out with it."

"I hope that upon receiving this valuable information, you may be able to find a place for me in your organization..."

Gray scoffed. "And why would I do that? What's stopping me from just calling and asking the sheriff of Silverpool about this 'valuable information'?

"Well," replied Rivers, smiling slightly, "He's trying to keep it from you. The whole department is trying to keep the government from finding out about this. If you don't hear it from me, you won't hear it from anyone."

"Okay, fine," said Gray, just because he was slightly intrigued. He didn't trust Rivers as far as he could throw him, but he came all the way here, the least Gray could do was indulge the man. "If I think this is as valuable to me as you say it is, I suppose something could be arranged."

"Good," said Rivers, nodding. He leaned closer to Gray, talking much softer now. "I was involved in the investigation of the murders at Belli Castle."

And from there, he told Gray the whole story about what they'd found, and what they'd been told to do about it. Gray left Bora Bora that evening.


	2. Under the Knife

**Under the Knife**

"You know why you're here, don't you?"

The waiting was more than he could bear. Of course he knew why he was here. He hadn't watched her every second, he hadn't killed that agent when he should have... But Leonardo knew nothing. He couldn't possibly know of what had gone on at the house, about how Fiona was under his nose at this very moment, about the plans he had for Leana... the plans for his downfall... He remained silent, nodding.

"What happened to her, Fendari? Who shot her?"

Fendari saw the jade knife in his hand now, the same one that had been used so long ago. This had happened before... He was going to die just like before, with Lorenzo, and before that... The waiting was the worst part. He clenched his hands, feeling sweat roll down his neck. He did not dare try and stop the man... he just forced himself to be satisfied with the knowledge that soon, he would finally get his revenge. Revenge for all those years of pain and torture... revenge for the curse he would have for eternity.

"I don't know, master." The lie was evident in his voice.

"Don't you? This wasn't an isolated incident. She was shot three times, Fendari. I thought my orders were to keep an eye on her at all times. It should have been simple enough for you. It _was _just one night."

Fendari could hear the anticipation in the man's voice. He had been hoping this would happen, hadn't he? He knew that Leonardo was looking forward to this.

"She was very elusive, master. It was hard to follow her without making myself known."

Leonardo suddenly stopped walking, turning his face on Fendari, grinning sickly. He approached the chair, pointing the knife toward him, putting the point on his chest.

"You're lying to me, Fendari," he said as he stared at him, the twisted grin growing wider. "I'll give you one more chance to tell me. Who shot Leana?"

Fendari stayed still, wishing that he'd just do it already. Every moment the agony increased, every moment he grew more tense.

"I don't-"

The point of the knife penetrated his flesh, and Fendari screamed in pain. He felt the blade passing through his skin, piercing his muscle. Each time seemed worse than the last... but this was just the beginning. Leonardo held the knife in place, slowly twisting it, causing him excruciating pain with each second.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He drove the green blade millimeters deeper with each turn of his hand. Fendari yelled in agony through his clenched teeth. With his other hand, Leonardo reached out and removed his mask, dropping it to the floor and looking upon his face.

"You know what I'm going to do to you if you don't tell me the truth. What happened to my elevator, Fendari? Why was the waterfall completed? Did you do that? Or was it her?" Fendari heard the raw anger seeping into the man's voice. "Tell me and we can end this quickly."

Fendari shook his head, still groaning in pain. The knife was digging ever-deeper, destroying old scars, dripping with his crimson blood. He made one final attempt to tell him, just hoping to get him angry enough to take it all the way, to drive it into him.

"I... DON'T... KNOW!"

"That," said Leonardo, pausing and chuckling slightly, "was not the right answer."

Fendari felt the tip pierce his heart. He screamed louder, the familiar pain overtaking him, the sensation of death once again flooding his mind, constricting his senses. Leonardo gave the knife one last agonizing twist and yanked it out. He knew that it would take a long, long time for Fendari to die, and he left him lying on the floor, screaming in agony. Leonardo left the room and Fendari was left all alone, bleeding from the heart and dying. But they both knew that death meant nothing to him anymore. Nothing except for the pain it caused him to come back.

As he felt his life flowing out of him, the hatred flared inside him again. This would be the last time. Soon, things would change. He would no longer be at the mercy of the Bellis, no longer would he be their slave... he would make sure they were all destroyed forever. All of them. And as for Leana... she would become his. She would save him. Tonight is when it would all happen.

The same thoughts ran through Fendari's head over and over as he lay in an expanding pool of his own blood, wailing in excrutiating agony and waiting, waiting for a death that was still a long time in coming.


	3. The Hunter Confined

**The Hunter Confined**

Riccardo sat across from Fiona, smiling. It was not a pleasant smile, but more just a tolerant one. It was the day after they'd arrived, and already Fiona was beginning to show signs of lightening up a little. She still wasn't saying much to him despite numerous attempts to get her to do so, and she refused to eat, but he knew that little by little... she was warming up to him. Not out of friendship or love, but out of necessity. Humans were social creatures, and Riccardo was the only other person she had. He continued trying to speak to her, trying to work her open inch by inch... but she knew what he was doing, which made this very difficult.

"The master of the house has no doubt returned by now. And the sooner he's taken care of, the sooner you and I can get out of this room."

Fiona looked at him distrustfully. She still had no idea what Riccardo's plans were yet.

"What do you mean, 'taken care of'? What do you plan to do?"

"Don't you worry about that, my dear," replied Riccardo, leaning forward and brushing her hair out of her face. She was so beautiful, even now, and Riccardo wished there was some way to speed up the process, some way to _make _her love him. But she saw him as a captor, an evil man, nothing more than that. And he knew it. She turned her face to the side, not even wanting to look upon his.

"Well... what about Daniella, then?" she asked him contemptfully.

"What are you talking about? She's-" Riccardo caught himself. He was still seeing the maid when that name was spoken, still seeing the glass sticking through her... but he painfully recalled last night's events. Yes, the girl, she'd come back. But Fiona didn't know about that yet, and he decided that he stood only to gain by telling her about it.

"She's most likely dead because of you!" Fiona shouted angrily.

Riccardo just continued smiling. Fiona was still very bitter about that little incident when that "Daniella" had first been in here, when he had told her to go, even though the girl herself hadn't seemed to mind one bit. She was so passive and kind, grateful for what he'd done... and for some strange reason, it infuriated Riccardo. He knew deep inside that the reason it so angered him was because he in fact found himself feeling sorry for her, and he didn't want to. He knew it was because he had been where she was now. Just wanting his own identity, trying to deal with the fact that he was just a clone, an abomination... And he knew that getting involved with her would likely get him killed.

The thing that had really been a warning was when Fendari came to him with the serum just moments after Riccardo had found her. Riccardo suspected that he'd actually been following her, waiting to be able to use the serum by himself. Maybe he was even the one that had caused the bites to be inflicted upon her. Something wasn't right, and Riccardo didn't want to know what was going on with him, or with her, but she was making it very hard for him. He had allowed her to trust him, that had been his mistake. He should never have taken her with him at all.

He turned his attention back to Fiona. "She came back late last night, after you were asleep. She was alive and well. You need not worry about her."

Fiona looked at him, this time without malice, but instead concern. It was nice to see her beautiful blue eyes finally gaze at him with sincerity, not filled with hate... but he knew this was just concern for Daniella, not for him. Still, it was like a breath of fresh air entering his lungs. If only she knew how much he really did love her...

"You... you actually let her in?" asked Fiona, a hint of surprise entering her voice.

"Of course. She needed help, so naturally I had to." Let her think that he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart. The only reason he'd done it was out of fear of being discovered.

"What happened?" she asked finally. "What did she want?"

"Nothing important... something about alchemy, where she came from, things like that. The point is that she's fine."

Fiona looked suspiciously at him, then looked around the room, down at Hewie sleeping at her feet then back to him, a scowl on her face.

"I hate this place," she said darkly, turning again away from him. "It's your fault we're here. It's your fault _I'm _here. I just wish you'd leave me alone."

Riccardo moved to her side, leaning close to her face and putting his hand on her back. "You know I can't do that, my dear..."

She yanked her body out of his grip, moving to the other side of the room and looking back at him defensively.

"You just keep your hands off me," she said, her eyes tearing up again. He hated to see her in this state... but it was a necessary part of the process. He just shook his head calmly, trying to keep his feelings under control. Patience was a virtue, and one that did not come easily to him.

"... I hate you," she muttered as she brought her hands up to her face. Yes, this was going to take quite a while.


	4. A Place to Call Home

**A Place to Call Home**

"Don't worry, I'll fix you... you just need some rest."

Those words had been spoken just as she lost consciousness, and she still heard them ringing clearly through her mind as she regained it. She didn't open her eyes, she didn't want to... she felt something soft beneath her, and knew she was in some sort of bed, but didn't want to open her eyes. As all of the terrible memories flooded back into Daniella's head, and her eyes squeezed tighter, hoping to god she wasn't still in that place... but knowing deep within her that those hopes were wrong.

The waterfall... and then... all of those bodies... and the elevator. The death. The running, running as fast as she could, just to be able to escape... and the man from the painting, Leonardo. And Poppy, watching her with sad eyes, watching her leave him... She kept her eyes squeezed tight, though she knew she couldn't do it forever. Slowly, she moved her left arm over to the right one, touching the skin where she had been shot... but she did not find a bullet hole. She suddenly opened her eyes. Had it all been just a bad dream? But as she looked around, seeing the red sheets over her and the light-colored wallpaper and knowing where she was, and let out a soft noise of despair. This was the room where she'd tried to sleep before, the only difference being the light that was now streaming in through the window. This is where that agent had attacked her... that was right before he...

She looked over at her right arm, and saw the mark, the circle of red on her skin... but there was no trace of a bullet hole. Confused, she lifted the blanket on top of her and looked down at her legs. Again, a red circle where she'd been shot... but there was no sign of the snake bites. She felt the left side of her stomach, he'd hit her there, too... but nothing. Somehow, she'd been completely healed. She laid her head back down on the pillow, feeling suddenly dizzy and drained, wondering how it was possible. Leonardo... he told her he'd "fix" her. What had he done?

She noticed she was dressed in the same type of nightgown as before. Which meant he'd undressed her... the thought sent shivers up her spine. Better him than... she shook her head. Fendari. Ever since she met him he'd creeped her out, but those things he'd done... he had been getting more and more strange each time she saw him, more and more terrifying. She had no idea who he was, what he looked like, or what he wanted to do to her, but she knew that whatever it was, it was perverted. But now that Leonardo was back... he would protect her, wouldn't he? He would make sure Fendari couldn't get to her.

She looked down at herself in the beautiful white linen, thinking that she was undeserving of such nice things. The nightgown, as the one before had been, was very revealing, which Daniella was kind of uncomfortable with. She started to feel insecure about her figure, and never having a brassiere didn't help much. Whenever she saw Fiona, she felt envy within her. She didn't want to, but it was a natural reaction. Fiona was a beautiful woman, she could be proud going around in something like this. She was desirable, her figure was perfect, from her large breasts to her curvaceous hips...

Daniella looked down at her own B-cup breasts, her pale skin, and unnaturally thin figure... she could never hope to look like that. The outfit she'd gotten from Fiona before was a simple white shift, with short white sleeves that flowed beautifully and a tight black undershirt made out of a smooth, velvet-like fabric. It was beautiful, yet more revealing than she was comfortable with, and she wondered if Fiona herself wore it a lot. At least she'd probably had a bra, but of course none of Fiona's bras could fit her significantly smaller chest, so she'd just had to go without, leaving something to be desired in the support department... she flushed just thinking about it.

Trying to push it out of her head, she turned her thoughts again to Leonardo. As she thought about the man, one more memory came back to her, in the form of his voice:

"My name is Aureolus Leonardo Belli. And you, my dear, are my wife."

She was his wife... and she didn't even know him. The painting in the old study had shown them together... Aureolus and Leana Belli. And if she was created after Leana, then he was undoubtedly created after Aureolus. He'd even said it in his name. But they were both so much younger than those people in the painting, and the journal she'd found had been dated 1540... had they really been cloning people for that long? Her stomach suddenly made a loud noise, and she realized that she was extremely hungry, and her lips were parched and dry. She hadn't had any food or water for a long time.

She thought again of Poppy, her dog, her savior. Was he still stranded there, in the elevator shaft? She wanted desperately to see him again, for him to know that she was all right, and so she knew he was all right as well. He had become her best friend in this place, it was like he had become a part of her... and now that he wasn't with her, she felt empty, vulnerable. She considered getting up and trying to find him, but she felt very weak right now, and wasn't sure if she would be able to walk very well.

Suddenly, there was a noise from the other side of the room. Daniella tensed... the door handle was being turned. Who was it now? The door swung open, and she saw Leonardo standing in the doorway, his sharp eyes looking upon her with a hint of a smile. He began walking calmly toward her, keeping his eyes on her. She wasn't quite sure if she trusted him yet or not.

"I see you've awakened. Are you feeling any better?"

"Um... yes, I am," Daniella replied, sounding a little hoarse. "I'm very hungry..."

"I can imagine," said Leonardo, coming to stand beside her. "You look terribly thin."

She felt his hand touching her hair, and she drew back, looking at him uncertainly. She reminded herself that she was his wife, or so he claimed... but she didn't know him, and she found it very uncomfortable being fondled by someone she'd literally just met. He just put his hand back to his side, nodding slowly.

"Forgive me... I know we've only just met," he told her, "But you just look so great today. If we are going to get used to being married, then we must become comfortable with one another. I'd like to talk with you, tell you whatever you need to know... but first, you have to eat. I will prepare something for you."

"Thank you." Something occured to her as he turned around and began to head for the door. "Um... Isn't Fendari your servant? Why isn't he the one who does things like that?" She certainly didn't want to see the masked man again, but it was strange that the master of a house would be the one preparing the food.

"Oh, he would, normally," replied Leonardo, opening the door. "But he is a bit preoccupied at the moment. It's no trouble for me."

He left the room and closed the door. Daniella wondered what Fendari could be doing right now... maybe they'd found the destroyed elevator by now, maybe he was investigating that... as long as he stayed far away from her, she guessed it didn't matter. It seemed she would finally be able to get some answers now that Leonardo was here, but right now that didn't matter to her as much as it had before. All she really wanted was to see her dog again...


	5. Separation

**Separation**

Poppy laid down and yawned, stretching out in front of the massive front doors. Now that he'd had some time to rest, he was feeling much better... yet worse at the same time. He turned his head, looking hopefully up at the balcony after hearing a noise, but saw that it was just the red-haired man coming through one of the doors. He laid his head disappointedly back down on his paws, taking a deep breath and letting it out through his nose. He hadn't seen Daniella since yesterday, when they had been in the big place with all the steep drops and the moving metal thing.

The man who wanted to hurt her had been there, so he had protected her the best he could... but he had to be careful, because he knew if he fell, he wouldn't have survived. That man had hurt him, too... Poppy had tried to keep him occupied as long as he could, but the man finally threw him off his back and kicked him. He'd heard his master screaming, and knew that she'd been injured... but then suddenly, the man left. He grabbed that metal thing on the wall and started climbing down, just like Daniella had done. Poppy had tried not to venture too close to the edge, but he couldn't see either of them from up there, so he leapt carefully onto one of those metal beams just as he heard Daniella scream again.

From his new vantage point, he could see them, his master lying on the floor and yelling painfully, and the man reaching the floor. He could see where he'd hit her with that thing, he could see the kind of agony she was in. Poppy barked, feeling her pain, but had no way of getting down to her. Then suddenly she crawled over to something on the wall as he advanced toward her and reached up. Whatever she'd done, the noise had caused Poppy to jump, nearly losing his balance, and he watched as the big metal box had suddenly slid away, falling down and crashing with an even louder noise in a explosion of dust and debris.

When it was clear enough for him to see again, he saw Daniella in the same spot, but the other man was nowhere to be seen. He paced fearfully back and forth on the beam and watched her just lie there and then scream again... but it sounded different. It wasn't a scream of pain. He barked worriedly, hoping that she'd come and see him, and that would make everything better like it always seemed to. He saw her look up at him for a moment, then slowly get to her feet. But instead of coming to see him, she had headed for the metal thing on the wall and climbed up to a doorway in the wall, which she opened and dropped into.

She began heading away from him, and Poppy barked again in dismay and confusion. Maybe she hadn't noticed him... but she kept going without looking back. Soon she'd disappeared from his sight, but he continued barking, hoping she'd come back for him. She was obviously in a lot of pain... and he had no way off this thing. But she didn't come back, and Poppy was forced to just keep pacing back and forth, barking intermittently, until after a few hours he'd tired himself out and laid down on the cold metal. Was she ever going to come back? She was the first good thing to happen to him, the first thing in his life, other than food, that made him truly happy. Other than the little girl with the bright blonde hair and blue eyes...

He dozed off into a disturbed sleep until a shout woke him. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he felt somewhat rested... and as he stood up and looked down hopefully into the shaft, he saw the red-haired man there, whom he hadn't seen for some time, looking at the crashed machine and appearing very distressed. He barked continuously, desperately wanting off of this thing, and the man muttered something, stood thinking for a moment, then... disappeared. As Poppy was wondering what had happened to the man, he appeared right next to the confused dog, who stumbled backwards, again nearly falling.

It was apparently very difficult for the man, but he eventually managed to get Poppy, who wasn't exactly the lightest dog, over his shoulder and climb slowly down the ladder. When he got to the open doors that Daniella had run out of earlier, he unceremoniously threw the dog through them, then stepped through himself. Poppy stared curiously at him. He had no idea that humans were strong enough to throw a dog of his size that far, and wondered if this man was just very strong. As he passed Poppy, the dog noticed a trace of a familiar wonderful scent on him... Daniella. He decided to follow the red-haired man... maybe he knew where she was.

But the man just looked annoyingly back at him and said something in a stern tone, which Poppy recognized as "Go away,". So the disgruntled dog, still thinking about Daniella, wandered the halls forlornly for a bit, then settled down in the foyer. He looked hopefully at the dishes in the corner... but there was no food or water in them. There was a lot of bright light coming in through the top of the room, which meant it was past morning... but the white-faced man hadn't come by and given him food yet, which was unusual. And he was very hungry. So he'd been resting here as he had done countless times before his master had arrived here, hoping to see any sign of her... or his food. But neither were yet to be found.

He watched as the red-haired man descended the staircase, coming down to the main floor. He didn't even spare the dog a look as he passed, going down the hall on the right. Poppy watched him go, and saw him enter that door where all those good smells came from. He was never allowed in there, but he knew that there was a lot of good food in there. He whimpered at the reminder of his empty stomach, and hoped that his own food would get here soon. But he wanted more than anything else just to see his master again, and watch her smile. He rolled over onto his side, closing his eyes, and waited.


	6. The Master Plan

**The Master Plan**

Leonardo cracked the eggshells over the side of the skillet and poured in the yolks. He'd decided to use four of them, as she could really use all the food she could get. It had been a long time since he had actually prepared anything by himself... but he knew he could do such a simple thing as fixing eggs, even though it was probably past lunchtime by now. She'd just woken up, she wouldn't know the difference. He had no idea how long it had been since Leana had eaten, but she appeared thin to the point of being unhealthy, and she'd sounded like she hadn't had anything to drink in a while, either. He was going to get his answers out of her... but first she had to be comfortable in this place. He still had no idea who could have shot her, or what she'd done to his elevator... but he would ask her when he saw her again.

He remembered finding it, crashed and broken beyond repair at the bottom of the shaft, and wondering confusedly what had happened... and finding the guard dog stranded up on that beam, with absolutely no idea how the mutt had gotten up there in the first place. And the atrium, with water flowing everywhere and all the crests in place... it had taken him quite a while to clean that mess up. Wherever Fendari had been, his allowing her to do this was unacceptable... and that's why he'd done what he had to. The servant had not followed his master's orders, and therefore had to be punished.

He knew that Fendari hated him, hated him with a passion as he hated all of the Bellis... He was probably awake again by now. Fendari, the man who could not die... rather, he could, but he wouldn't _stay _dead. Yes, he was Aureolus' crowning achievement, eternal life had finally been attained within this man. But it was not a life that anyone would want, and that's why he had ultimately been just another failure. Each day, the tainted Azoth within him grew stronger and ate away at his body and his mind. Leo knew everything about the man, everything he'd been through. Fendari had never defied him like this, though, and that just made him more anxious to know just what went on in his absence.

He stood just staring at the eggs, deep in thought. At first, the loss of Fiona had seemed to be a terrible thing, a crippling blow that would signify the end of the family. She was the only remaining person with Aureolus' inherited Azoth... but no longer would it be an obstacle to him. The only thing better than having the inherited Azoth of Aureolus was having the ancient, enhanced Azoth of his wife. Much of Aureolus' original, pure Azoth was inside of her. For centuries she had been waiting for her release, centuries her Azoth had been dormant, yet becoming more powerful. And finally she was awake, and she would be the one to lead him to the Truth.

The original plan had been to take Fiona and bring her here to the mansion, and use her Azoth, or _his _Azoth, to be used in the transfer. But something had gone horribly wrong, that damned Riccardo had tried to steal her... and somehow, Lorenzo had ended up dead, Fiona having been able to escape. Leo had been wondering long before they actually did it, though. The old man had seemed so eager, so anxious to do it, and and Leo had begun to think that Lorenzo had his own plans for Fiona... but now, none of that mattered, because she was gone.

After not hearing from Lorenzo a day after the old man had called with his unexpected message about Fiona being brought to the castle prematurely, he decided to take matters into his own hands and had sent Fendari to Belli Castle to see what had happened. And that's when he remembered the clone. Leana, the one and only wife of Aureolus Belli. And now it was her time, now it was _their _time. His suspicions had been confirmed when Fendari had returned with his grim news... but now they had no need to worry about Fiona any longer. Now they had _her_.

Fendari had told him something about how they may have been using her for "other purposes"... although he still wasn't quite sure what that meant, he doubted it was of any concern. He had suspected from the beginning that Lorenzo had been planning things he had not been telling him, as Leo had been doing the same. But Lorenzo had been old, very old, and he was not as strong or clever as he used to be. Leo knew that whatever Lorenzo had been planning, it was nothing more than a small obstacle if anything. But now he was dead, just like all those before him... and this made things much easier. Leonardo would be the sole person who would accomplish the feat which had never been done before, the sole person who would revive the power of the Belli family.

After the eggs were finished and scrambled, and he had poured a large glass of water for his beautiful wife, Leo left the kitchen, heading out into the foyer. He noticed that dog he'd found walking up to him, whimpering a little. The dog most likely caught the scent of the food. He kicked at the animal, beginning to tell it to screw off... and then he remembered what Fendari had told him over the phone.

_She seems to have taken a liking to Poppy._

Yes, it was Poppy, wasn't it? And there was no doubt that Leana wanted very much to see this dog again. He suddenly changed his expression to a smile, beckoning the dog. The dog, thoroughly confused, slowly approached him.

"Come on, Poppy. I think there's somebody who wants to see you."

Hopefully, she would be on much better terms with him after he brought the dog to her. She would probably be able to tell him why he'd found the dog stranded in the elevator shaft, and just what had gone on. Making sure that the black and white dog followed him up the spiral staircase, he began heading for her room. He could just take her now, use her and fulfill his dreams. But he didn't want to, yet. Not until he knew a few more things... and besides, he had not had a chance to make love to a woman in a very long time. His own Azoth would mix with hers, he would only improve her, give her more of the essence of the Belli lineage. He would make sure to do that before anything else... whether she wanted it or not.


	7. Uncertain Trust

**Uncertain Trust**

"Poppy!"

Daniella saw the dog the moment the door opened, and she felt instantly and infinitely better. He bounded into the room, jumping up on the bed and licking her face. It was kind of disgusting... but she didn't mind at all. She held him close to her, running her hands through his thick fur. She was so happy that he was okay... if she'd hurt him, she didn't think that she'd ever be able to forgive herself. She sighed, relieved immensely, and looked over into the doorway, where Leonardo was once again standing, watching the scene with a sort of strained smile.

"Thank you so much, sir... I was so worried about him. He saved me so many times, and..."

"Please, call me Leo," the man replied, stepping into the room. "I'm glad I was able to bring you two back together. I suppose you are hungry?" He held up the plate and the glass of water.

"Yes, I'm very hungry." Daniella outstretched her arms, the scent of the eggs filling the room. "Thank you."

He handed them to her, then pulled a chair from a desk opposite her over near the bed and sat down. Daniella ate the food ravenously, not knowing just how long it had been since she last ate. She finished off the plate, Poppy watching her dolefully, and downed the glass of water within a few seconds. Feeling a lot better, she set the dishes down beside the bed. She was still quite hungry, but she wasn't going to tell Leo that... he'd done enough for her already. She put her right arm around Poppy as Leonardo started speaking.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Leana," he said, his eyes staring into her own. He had such dramatic features, and he was very muscular and well-built, and such a gentleman... Daniella realized she was admiring him, and broke their gaze, her face flushing the slightest bit.

"Uh... please, call me Daniella. That's what I've been calling myself..."

He stared at her for a moment. "After Lorenzo's maid, I assume? Yes, you're both practically the same person, but with one major difference..."

"Azoth..." Daniella whispered, recalling the conversation she'd had with Riccardo last night.

"Very good, very good," Leo complimented her, lowering his eyebrows, obviously surprised. "I see you already know quite a bit. Where did you get such information?"

Daniella opened her mouth, about to tell him, but hesitated. He had this strange quality about him, something that just made you want to pour out your soul to him, tell him everything... it was his eyes, she decided. But she caught herself at the last moment, remembering Riccardo's last words to her.

_"And don't tell anybody Fiona and I are down here, all right?"_

She thought quickly, trying to think of something else to tell him, but her mind drew a blank. She had a feeling that Leonardo was the one Riccardo was afraid of. He _was _hiding in the man's house, after all... but why he was, she had no idea. All this time, she'd remained silent, Leo watching her like a hawk, trying to pull the truth from inside of her...

"I... I don't know," Daniella replied lamely, unable to think of any other excuse. Poppy stood up and jumped down off the bed, sniffing at the plate on the floor, hoping to find remains of the food.

Leo stared at her a moment longer, and Daniella sensed that he knew she wasn't telling him the truth. But after a few seconds, he leaned back, speaking to her again.

"I see. Well, that's all right. I mainly want to know what happened last night. How did you get shot?"

The memories came back to her again, and Daniella shivered involuntarily. The whole night had just been a nightmare.

"... It was an agent, somebody sent by the police. He was after me... he followed me here."

"What? Is he still here?" Leo replied immediately, concern entering his voice.

Daniella shook her head sadly. "No. He went down to that torture chamber and there was this horrific nail trap... He walked right into it. But he kept coming after me, trying to kill me. It's my fault those nails hit him, Leo. It's my fault things turned out like this..."

Her body began trembling. She didn't want to think about what had happened, she didn't want to tell him... but she knew she had to. Leo put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, it's fine now... What happened? Why isn't he still here?"

"I set all the crests in the atrium, and I saw that room with the bodies..." Her eyes were growing wider, her breathing shallower. "And then he... he took me out of the elevator and tried to kill me... and I knew I was going to die... but then... I dropped it on him. I... I killed, him, Leo. I'm so sorry."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, and she hung her head in despair. She heard Poppy whimper, and felt his tongue on her knee, and then she felt Leonardo sit down next to her and embrace her. She threw her arms around him. It felt so good to finally have a person who cared about her... and at that moment, it felt natural. She felt as if she could really be happily married to this man. Maybe then she could finally live in peace...

"It's all right, dear... Don't cry, it wasn't your fault." Leo's voice was soothing, comforting... she drew back, wiping her eyes. She didn't want to get too close to him just yet. She still hardly knew him.

He let go of her. "Where was Fendari during all of this? I told him to keep an eye on you."

Daniella shook her head. "He came to me, and he helped me when I needed it... but I didn't like him. He began to do some things that really scared me. It was like he was egging me on, like he wanted me to get the crests and do those strange puzzles. The way he looked at me... I didn't want him anywhere near me. Why does he wear that mask?"

"I see," Leo repeated, deep in thought, either not hearing her question or ignoring it. "Well, I'll have to talk to him about that. I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this. I didn't mean for you to do any of those things. Rest assured, though, that you won't have to worry about it any longer. Daniella... my wife." he said this more quietly, "Rest until you feel good enough to get up. I'll make sure you feel right at home."

With this, he stood up and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Poppy walked up next to the bed and nuzzled Daniella's hand, and she stroked his head softly. She knew that, just like everybody else she'd met, there was more to that man than met the eye. If he owned a house with these sadistic puzzles, a torture chamber, and a closet literally full of skeletons, she knew that despite what he appeared to be, he probably wasn't all good. But her self-proclaimed husband really seemed to care about her and to be concerned for her safety in this place, so she supposed he was her best friend here right now, other than Poppy... and...

She had almost told him about Riccardo. Daniella still didn't know why the man was here, or how long he was planning on hiding, but she knew it was dangerous. And as much as he seemed to hate her, he had helped her, too. She still wasn't quite sure what to think of him, though. After all, he _had _kidnapped Fiona and was keeping her here. She wasn't quite sure who to trust... all she knew was that she could trust the one lying beside her right now. She fondled Poppy's ears, hearing the dog yawn. She was so afraid she'd lost him... and she would make sure she never did again. She laid back, closing her eyes. Leonardo was right... she was still very tired...


	8. Faded Memories

**The House of Truth: Faded Memories**

Leana leaned on the cold stone pillar, watching the storm rage outside. She hated this place, she truly did. He had stuck her here, made her stay here, and by this point she knew that she no longer loved him, and that he no longer loved her. She had no idea why he even kept her here, what the point of it all was. He never talked to her, he never smiled anymore, never even showed any signs of emotion. There was no trace of the man she married there. He had disappeared, taken over by the monster that drug her here, kept her here like an animal in a cage.

She was looking in the direction of the half-completed tower, close to the house. He had told her that it was to be used to store water, but what intentions he really had for it, she had no idea. She had no idea about anything he did anymore. All of this... taking just her and the servant to a house that was built far outside of town, deep in the wilderness, and built in the middle of a _lake... _it had happened only a few months ago, but it already seemed like an eternity to Leana. She wanted out, she didn't want to be here anymore. Each day she grew more suspicious.

He had taken her here with almost no explanation, only telling her that he had a house built where he could better conduct his "research", and that they would be moving there. She hadn't liked the idea in the first place, had no idea where he got the money to build a place like this from, and now that she was here, completely secluded from everything and everyone she knew, a captive of her own husband, she just wanted to get out. But Aureolus had gone to great lengths to make escape from this awful place, by her or anybody else, impossible. She had no doubts now that he was killing human beings. She had seen the bodies, when he brought them to that room. No longer was he experimenting on animals, and she never knew where he got those human bodies, whether he killed them himself...

That room, at the end of the hall, with a symbol of what looked like the sun on the door. The one where he spent every hour of his day, every day of his life. The one that she was forbidden to enter. That's where he conducted his twisted experiments, where he did his alchemy. Alchemists were a dying breed, and they dealt in magic, in healing... not in killing. Her husband was no alchemist. He was a sadist, a murderer. The bodies never came back out of that room, and the only times she ever saw him these days were when he came out to get another body... or to rape her.

He did it about once a week, and even then he would never say anything to her. She would see him standing in the doorway and staring at her with his dark, hungry eyes, and she knew what was going to happen. She'd tried to run, tried to get away, but he would always catch her, tear her clothes apart, and coldly, roughly fuck her. She didn't run anymore, didn't even scream anymore. It was something she had come to expect. She knew that it had been a bad idea to marry him. Back then, he had been a lively, charming man, filled with passion and determination. But even back then, the looks everybody gave them... outcasts of even their own family. It was considered one of the worst sins of all to be wed to a sibling... but she thought she'd loved him, and he loved her.

Aureolus, her own brother... she remembered the first time he'd confessed his feelings to her. She had been the tender age of fourteen, and it had scared her. She had tried to stay away from him for as long as possible, unsure of her own feelings, but he would tell her how he ached for her whenever they were left alone, how he felt about her. Then one night, not even a year later, the night their mother died. She had been so weak and vulnerable, and of course Aureolus was there, in her room, comforting her... and she decided she'd experiment with him, finally giving into his demands. Her brother took her virginity on that night, and she had told him that she loved him, too, and that she wanted to marry him.

Their father, a humble lumberjack who was barely able to make ends meet for his family and at his breaking point already from the death of his wife, did not take this news well. When Aureolus had told him, he'd been beaten and thrown out into the street along with Leana. They had both been forced to work what would now be considered slave labor just to be able to scrape by, and everywhere they went the news of their unspeakable deed spread, and they were scorned and hated. But somehow they managed to get through it, and they were married in 1529. Things were just as she hoped they'd be for about ten years, he was a great and caring husband, and she was a model wife.

But one thing bothered him, one thing above all else... he was impotent, and they could never have a child. Leana knew that this bothered him, because he had always wanted a child. He had these visions for the Belli family, and he saw himself as the start of a new life, a new family. They had finally been able to escape, for the most part, the stories of their incest, and their past had been all but buried. Naturally, Aureolus wanted to start over, create a new life for he and his wife. But the fact that he could never have children, never have an heir, seemed to bother him more and more as time went by.

Things started to go downhill when they decided to move to Silverpool in 1538. Leana had been 27 years old then. It was a nice, quiet little town, having just been established two years ago, and they moved there to settle down and become part of the community. Aureolus was able to get work as the town alchemist, having been trained in the science before they came. He created remedies and elixirs for people, spells that were supposed to cure certain conditions, things like that. Leana had always been skeptical of the science, never putting too much faith in it, but her husband had chosen it as a career, so she supported him. He seemed happy then...

Due to his increased income, they were able to get a large house and an African slave for themselves, although they preferred the term "servant". His name was Fendari. He was a very kind, agreeable man, and always did his work well. Leana really enjoyed his company, even though she knew that it was unorthodox for a master to form such a bond with their servant. While Aureolus was working, she would talk to him, sometimes even help him around the house. Their life seemed to be a stable, pleasant one, their future together had been bright...

It had been in 1540, only two years later, when he had started the hunting. He would bring back the animal carcasses and take them down to their basement, which he had since turned into his alchemic laboratory. At first, Leana had just tried to pass it off as nothing, just something he needed to do for his job. But slowly, he began to change. He would spend more time down there, and less time with her. He grew more insensitive to her feelings, and talked to her less and less. He began going bald and becoming paler and more irritable, and Leana wondered if this was just the course of nature, or if it was his lifestyle doing this to him. And she noticed that suddenly, their inability to have a child wasn't a very big deal to him anymore.

More and more he got into the darker aspects of alchemy, more and more he told her how great it would make him. Eventually, that was all he ever talked about. He went out at night more frequently, coming back with bigger and bigger animals. He dropped his job as the town alchemist, completely devoting himself to whatever he was doing down there, and not wanting to be disturbed. He began to get angry at her for any reason he could find, and after a while he started beating her. All of her love for him dwindled away, anything she'd ever felt slowly disappeared. And that was when he'd brought her here.

Leana shuddered. The memories were all she had now. She finally moved away from the window, sitting down on the couch opposite her, hanging her head. How did she ever end up here, in this prison, with a man she no longer knew? She felt a single tear drop from her eye. This was happening more these days, the sadness and the depression would overwhelm her. All she'd ever wanted was to have a life of her own. But she had nothing here. Nothing, except these faded memories.


	9. Sickening Discovery

**The House of Truth: Sickening Discovery**

Leana sat staring at the painting on the opposite wall, the only sound being the ticking of the large grandfather clock near her, echoing around the huge open area above her. Daniella thought the whole house was designed very irrationally, and she wondered if it had been made this dark and foreboding on purpose. She was sitting in the left stairway alcove in the foyer, a strange little place down a stairway in the middle of the room. The painting was one of her husband Aureolus, a dignified portrait that had been done years ago. His cold eyes stared straight at her, the sour expression fitting for the man.

She just sat there, not knowing what else to do. These days she just aimlessly wandered the house, hopelessly bored and sad. Her life had slowed to a depressing drag, never being let out of this place, never allowed to see another human being again... and never allowed in that room at the end of the hall. Her curiosity had been growing ever since she'd gotten here... what was in there that he didn't want her to know about? What did he do in there for twenty-four hours a day? She didn't really think of Aureolus as her husband anymore. He was nothing to her. Nothing was really anything to her now.

Suddenly, a sound at the top of the stairs broke her out of her reverie. Somebody was coming down the stairs. Leana looked around, but knew there was nowhere to hide down here, nowhere to run. She gripped the sofa cushion beneath her, holding her breath, and let it out in a relieved sigh when she saw the form walking down toward her. It was just Fendari. He reached the bottom of the stairs, looking worriedly at her. He knew she hated it here... and she knew he did as well.

"Milady... what are you doing down here at this hour?" He approached her, holding out a gloved hand to her. "You are normally in bed by now. Is everything all right?"

Daniella took his hand gratefully, standing beside him. "I don't know, Fendari."

So far, she had tried to stay positive when he was around. She tried not to drag him down into the depressing truth. But she knew he saw it in her eyes... she couldn't stand it here, and wanted to get out. But he seemed to serve them as he always had, this godawful place hadn't changed him, or so it appeared. But Leana knew that deep inside, just like her, he did not like this place.

"You must be getting very lonely, miss. It's not good for one's mental health to stay in a place like this. I'm sorry the master has made the decision to keep you here. This is no place for a lady to be."

She looked at the servant. He stared at her with concern and pity, yet she pitied him as well. His fate was even worse than hers.

"What about you, Fendari?" she asked, glad she was at least talking to somebody. "Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Yes, I do," he replied, a distant tone of sadness in his voice. "But I have food, and shelter, and I am at least grateful for that."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "I want to be able to help you, milady," he said, "but I cannot. All we can do is hope that soon the master comes to his senses."

She moved in closer and wrapped her arms around him. Still optimistic, after all Aureolus had put him through. Still calling him "master", when Fendari meant nothing to the man. She knew that they would likely never get out of this place. But it wasn't so bad, not as long as they were trapped here together. She felt his muscular arms around her, felt his heart beating in his chest. And then she leaned against him and pressed her lips against his.

Leana did not know why she did that then. She was just so lonely, and so was he. They needed each other to stay alive. She knew that what she was doing now, just like what she had done before, was considered unforgivable. To fall in love with one's own slave was something that was unheard of... but nobody would likely ever hear of her again anyway, so that didn't matter anymore. She put all of her lost passion in that kiss, all of her longing for something else. And Fendari returned it. She knew that there would be no turning back now.

He apparently came to the same conclusion, because he suddenly pushed her away, breathing heavily. She knew it was what he had wanted, she had known it for a long time. He turned away from her, shaking his head.

"I can't do this, miss," he said softly. "If the master found out, we would both be in trouble. Please... don't do this to me."

Leana walked up behind him. "I need somebody here, Fendari! I need _you! _Otherwise I... I'll..."

Fendari walked back up the stairs, pretending he hadn't heard her. "You should get some sleep, milady."

He disappeared from her sight. Leana slumped against the wall, sighing dejectedly. She had been out of line doing that, and she knew it... but she also knew that Fendari had enjoyed it, and that he wouldn't be able to avoid her forever. After a while, she walked back up the stairs and headed for the main hall. He had been right, she needed to sleep, needed some time to think. Hearing the distant sound of thunder outside and the rain still beating savagely on the windows, she walked around the large pillar and entered the hall from the left door.

She made for her room, which was down the spiral stairway that branched off from the hall... but right as she was about to enter the doorway, she looked down at the end of the hall and stopped dead. The door at the end was standing open. She looked around in the hallway, not seeing anyone, and slowly headed toward it. She couldn't keep wondering what he was doing in there... she was going to find out tonight. She walked down to the end of the hallway and carefully opened the door, stepping inside.

The first things she saw were all of the people. The people, stuck in the stone... The cement that made part of the wall and the ceiling had... _people _in it. They looked like they were screaming, struggling, in pain... She took a step back, gasping. What the hell... why would he have this here? Was it some sick decoration? She peered fearfully around the dark room, and saw nothing else. It was empty. Except... she saw something in the back of the room. Another doorway. She moved toward it. Where was Aureolus?

As she approached it, she saw a long, dark stairway heading downwards. She began descending it, her curiosity overcoming her fear. Not fear of what she'd seen... fear of where she might find her husband. There was something very wrong here... She noticed the cemented bodies along the stairway as well, sometimes just limbs, sometimes a head, a face. As she got closer to the bottom, she began hearing strange noises... moaning, sometimes screaming... there was more than just her husband down there. She took a deep breath, then walked down the last few steps and looked into the room.

It was a terrifying sight. People in animal cages lined the room, some living, others dead. Blood was smeared everywhere, on the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. Two large tanks filled with some red liquid stood in the back, holding what appeared to be deformed people... and she saw them breathing. They were _alive. _And in the center, staring at her with incomparable fury, was Aureolus Belli. He stood behind what appeared to be an operating table, holding a knife in one hand and a strange tool she'd never seen before in the other. He was standing over somebody who had their abdomen cut open lying on it... and the person turned his head toward her, his eyes filled with terror. He was still living, even though she could see his innards hanging out of him... It was too much...

Leana stumbled back, clutching at her heart, and she fell down on all fours. She felt herself throwing up on the floor, but she hardly even noticed. Dragging herself to her feet, she walked backwards back up the stairs, still staring in horror at the scene before her. Aureolus had moved from his position behind the table, coming toward her. She turned around, running in a blind panic back up the stairs. This is what her brother, her husband, had become. More than a murderer, more than a sadist... but less than human. She kept running until she reached the top of the stairs, choking back a sob and continuing to run through the room with the bodies in the walls... Little did she know that within two months' time the entire hallway would look the same.

Suddenly, a flash... then the field appeared again. Daniella felt the grass, felt the wind, knew that it was real... she walked toward the well in the middle, wanting desperately for reasons unknown to her to be able to look down there, to see what was inside. She began running, knowing she could make it... but suddenly, it disappeared. Instantly, the grass turned black and the sky turned red. She saw the form of a person materialize before her, glowing with a brilliant blue light. He reached out for her, and she felt herself falling, dying at his touch...

And suddenly, once again, she was awake, sweating and gasping for breath.


	10. Rebellion

**Rebellion**

"I hate you!"

Riccardo wasn't the first person Fiona spoke those words to. She had said them to her parents many, many times. They were always so hard on her, they wanted perfection, for her to be their perfect little angel. It was mostly her father, Ugo. He had this strange, almost unnatural desire to see her succeed in life, and he had always been the one that had made the decisions... taken her to all the private schools, never even allowed her to make friends. He always told her that all he was doing was giving her a good education, but by doing so he was trapping her, confining her... just like she was now.

And she hated them both for it. She loved them, too... but oh, how she hated them. They got into arguments all the time, and of course her parents always had their way. She kept feeling more and more repressed, she was never allowed to do anything for herself or make her own decisions. And one day, a year ago, they just pushed her over the edge. She had run crying to her room after they told her that she was not allowed to see anybody outside of school. She wanted to have friends, wanted to have her own life... but they were making it impossible. So she devised a way to get back at them, to hurt them.

She was going to a christian school at the time. There was one boy there, Jonathan... she knew he'd had his eye on her for a long time. He was always being nice to her, watching her when he thought her back was turned... Fiona wasn't stupid, she knew she was gifted with good looks, a great body, and although she'd never even dreamed of doing such a thing before, she knew how to use it to her advantage. The little angel she had been her entire life was swallowed up in the heat of the moment, and she was experiencing these very unchristian thoughts for the first time. Her parents, strict Catholics, considered premarital sex a terrible sin. They both worked in the daytime, and came home about an hour after she got back from school. Fiona wasn't a mean person, wasn't manipulative or cunning... but her fury drove her to it.

She invited Jonathan over to her house after school one day, and of course he readily accepted. They talked about school for a while, but inevitably the conversation turned to their relationship. She made sure to keep him hanging for a while, but eventually they began kissing, then taking off clothes... she was willing to give up something as valuable as her virginity just to get back at her parents, and looking back, it was probably the stupidest thing she'd ever done. She'd never done anything this drastic or manipulative in her life, and she felt like a horrible person for it. When her parents walked in the door, they were right in the middle of it.

Needless to say, what followed was catastrophic. Jonathan was beaten out the door, forced to leave without his clothes. Ugo was raving, screaming at the top of his lungs about how she had ruined her future, and Ayla just standing by the door, crying. And after that... they stopped. They stopped talking to her, they stopped restricting her, they just stopped everything, as if they didn't care anymore. Fiona should have felt great, should have taken advantage of it... but she just felt worse. She knew she had let them down, and now there was no way to turn back. She hadn't realized just how much she'd hurt them until it was too late... and once her anger at them was gone, all she was left with was sadness.

They had enlisted her in a new college, helped her get set up... but from that point on, it was as if they wanted nothing to do with her. She began going to college, but she was depressed. She couldn't live with the knowledge of what she'd done... But then, that day her father had called her. He had sounded so excited, so happy... he wouldn't tell her where they were going, he just said that he'd be picking her up in an hour. He told her that they were going to see where he grew up, something which he'd always been evasive about in the past.

For that time, it was as if nothing had ever happened. They talked and laughed, and Fiona was feeling a lot better. The road they were traveling on wound through a dense forest, and Fiona wasn't quite sure where they were headed as twilight came upon them, then the darkness of night... and that's when she noticed the other car. Its engine roaring loudly, it sped up until it was beside them... and then it rammed them. Fiona screamed, watching as the car careened off the road and straight into a large pile of logs. She watched as her own father was killed... and then that face...

The face of the man who was here now. The face that looked like her father's... yet it was deformed, twisted. She didn't want to forgive him for what he'd done to her, didn't want anything to do with him... but unconsciously, she was actually beginning to get used to his company. She was warming up to him, and it just infuriated her even more. Why did this have to happen? Why was she here? And why was she starting to tolerate the man that had single-handedly ruined her entire life? It didn't make any sense. At least she had Hewie here. The big White Shepherd was sitting at Riccardo's feet, looking up hopefully as the man tried desperately to open a can of diced pineapple. It was truly a funny sight, and she would have laughed if she had it in her. Hewie had already gotten used to Riccardo being around, even though he absolutely hated the dog.

Fiona strode over to him, sighing, not quite sure why she was doing this. She took the can and the knife from him, and Riccardo just stared at her. She managed to open it with relative ease, dragging the edge of the knife around the outside of the lid.

"There. It isn't hard, you know," she said, grinning before she could catch herself and handing it back to him.

Riccardo looked furious, but he saw the hint of a smile cross her face and immediately lightened up. "Well, I just need practice. Now... do you want some breakfast?"

Fiona nodded, taking the can from him and that scoop-shaped thing that he'd used as a spoon. This was the first thing she'd had to eat since arriving, the first thing she hadn't rejected. Fiona was still angry at the man, still trying to give him the cold shoulder... but she found that her defenses were weakening. There was just something about him...

"Thank you," she said softly, unsure whether he'd heard her or not.


	11. Vantage Point

**Vantage Point**

Daniella examined the polished white statue of a woman that she held in her hand. She remembered dropping it from high up in the shaft, but... it seemed completely fine. She was standing in the elevator shaft again, because after she'd woken up from that terrible dream she noticed it was already 7:00, and after she'd gotten dressed in the same outfit, washed and laid out for her, the unsupportive one that she hated so much... she had been walking around the mansion looking for Leo, but hadn't been able to find him. So she'd come back here, hoping that they may have cleaned everything up by now... but they hadn't. It looked the same as she'd left it. The elevator was still lying destroyed at the bottom, the agent's crushed body no doubt still under it...

And then she'd noticed the statue. The one that she'd gotten from the room above the atrium, and it was still sitting on the bottom of the elevator shaft, apparently unharmed. She'd told Poppy to wait in the doorway and climbed down to it, looking it over. Not even a crack, though it appeared to be polished marble. The word "TOWER" was still clearly visible on the base, and Daniella wondered idly what kind of strange puzzle this one was used in. A tower... she'd seen one connected to the back corner of the house as she'd come in... maybe you needed this to get in there.

She climbed back up to the first floor doorway, greeting Poppy and giving him a pat on the head. He looked a lot better now than he had last night, and she imagined that she did, too. It had been very hard on them both. She called him and began walking to the end of the hall, knowing where to go next. She was going to search for this tower. She'd worked hard to get this thing, and the least she could do was use it... besides, she was kind of curious as to what was up there. And if this "tower" was the same one she'd seen, that meant it was on the northeast corner of the mansion.

Together, she and Poppy walked back through the atrium, which was now back to normal, the pillars no longer positioned under the waterfall. Daniella talked to him a little, it always made her feel better when she did, and Poppy always listened to her. They went back down the long hallway, passing by the operating room. They finally emerged into the foyer, taking one of the spiral staircases up to the balcony and entering the leftmost door. She was trying to get as close to the corner where she'd seen that place as possible.

They walked down the hall, orange light from the setting sun beaming in from the long window overhead. They passed the bedroom, and then the stairway leading to the torture chamber. Daniella shivered involuntarily... what had happened in that place would haunt her for a long, long time. They continued down the hall, now entering a part of the house she hadn't been before. The hallway turned to the left, becoming darker, devoid of any windows. She didn't notice any doors lining the hallway as there usually were, just a straight stone hall leading to what appeared to be a dead end.

She approached the stone wall at the end, not quite sure why they would just leave it off like this... but closer inspection revealed there was something here. On the right side there was a small stone bowl-shaped thing attached to the wall. There was a shape cut on the inside of the bowl, and she instantly recognized it as the shape the grooves made on the bottom of the statue. Cautiously, she placed the statue onto the raised shape, rotating it to try and get it to fit. Finally, it sunk down, but nothing else happened. She waited for a bit, a little confused... then got an idea. If this thing really worked like a key, then...

She tried turning the statue, and it rotated easily. She turned it around as far as she could, until the woman on the statue was facing the dead end, and heard it click. Suddenly, the wall began to slide away. Poppy, who had been sitting beside her rather confused as to why they were standing at a dead end, jumped back and growled at the moving wall. The wall moved to the right, and finally it stopped, leaving a doorway for them. She smiled, trying to comfort Poppy. Together they walked through the doorway and into the tower.

It was actually very small, a single spiral staircase going up to the top far above. The steps were made of old wood and creaked threateningly when she put her weight on them, so she decided to go up as carefully as possible. She kept going up, Poppy close behind her, each step seeming to sound less stable than the last. Finally, when she was near the top, one of them snapped, her entire right leg going down through it. She screamed, but nothing else happened. Poppy jumped to the step above her, whimpering. She pulled her leg back up and looked it over, having gotten a few small splinters, but noting too serious. She pet Poppy, trying to tell him she was all right, but he still appeared a little worried.

She stood back up, dusting herself off and lightly jumping up to the next step. She walked very slowly and carefully the rest of the way to the top. At the top was a stable metal platform, giving her great relief. There were four "windows" around the top, large holes cut into the stone where one could see the entire mansion below... but it was very cold up here as these windows had no glass in them, and the icy wind blew across Daniella's skin. She noticed a telescope at one of the windows and walked over to it, folding her arms for warmth. It was looking out into the bay, and there she saw an island, barely visible as dusk was overtaken by the cloak of night. She put her eye up to the telescope and looked through.

Red flashing lights ascended into the sky from that island, and Daniella instantly recognized the structure as the radio tower she'd seen when she had arrived. Why would there be a radio tower here... and why in the middle of the bay? But she saw a huge shadow behind it as well, and in the gathering darkness she couldn't quite make it out... but it looked like some sort of tower, much larger than the one she was in now. As she looked at the structure of it, she suddenly realized that it was a lighthouse. It made some sense, as they were looking out into the ocean, but... huge ships didn't dock at this place, did they? Maybe at one time...

She pulled away from the telescope, the freezing wind becoming nearly unbearable. Poppy appeared fine with it, he actually looked like he was enjoying the breeze up here. She looked around the top of the tower, seeing only one more thing that seemed interesting... there was a small box on a pedestal on the other side. She walked over to it, looking out the window. She could see the entire mansion from here, she saw the glass dome that made the top of the atrium, she saw the courtyard where she'd gotten the last crest... looking back down at the box, she opened it and took out a single brass key.

On one side, there was carved a picture of a snake, and on the other, the word "BASEMENT" was carved. She remembered seeing that in the elevator... B1. She hadn't gone in those doors at the bottom of the shaft yet, and didn't particularly want to. Who knows what kinds of things they kept down there? But she was convinced that this was all leading up to something big, so she took the key with her. She headed back toward the wooden stairs, calling Poppy, glad to get out of the cold... she would just have to be very careful on her way back down.


	12. Warped Desires

**Warped Desires**

"Ah, there you are, Fendari. I've been waiting for you."

Fendari made his way to the tower, half immersed in a memory. He'd heard the stone sliding away, knew that Leana had used the statue. He knew she would.

"What have you been doing down here?" Fendari asked, dumbfounded. Empty cages were scattered around the room, blood smeared the walls. This was the first time he'd ever been allowed into the master's laboratory.

He walked through the stone hall, his plan clear to him now. The goal was within his reach. There was just one more thing he needed to do, and it would all be over. It was time to take revenge.

"I've been conducting experiments," said Aureolus, looking at him strangely, almost excitedly. Something was wrong here. The master had gone mad.

He rounded the corner, the anticipation building in his chest. It had been so hard to restrain himself before... but no longer would he have to worry about it. She was his now. He deserved her... he deserved to indulge himself in her. He'd waited long enough.

"I... I don't understand, sir," Fendari said, beginning to back away. "What did you want me for?"

He could almost hear her footsteps now. His dear Leana... he had deluded himself into thinking that they were the same person, and he had done it on purpose. She loved him, and she could save him. He wasn't going crazy, as he'd feared... no, he was just taking what had long been owed to him. And if she ran...

The crazed, balding man just continued staring at him. "I know you've been having sex with my wife, Fendari." His voice had sharpened into a steel blade, and the truth sliced through Fendari. He knew this time would come. He had been fearing it for so long... but now that it was here, he felt no fear at all. It was swallowed up by the hatred.

Yes, she would run. Or she would try to. She was still afraid of him, still afraid of what he would do to her. He could smell her virginity on her, he knew she was as pure as the day she was born... and that just made it worse, made it harder. But now, it would all be easy. Even if she did try and get away... there was nowhere she could hide from him. He was faster, stronger, superior.

Fendari was speechless for a while, but then finally it all boiled over. "You don't love her! You've never loved her! You keep her here like an animal in a cage, and you beat her, and rape her... how can you do this? What have you become?" He shook violently, unsure what kind of repercussions there would be for that. But he had to say it.

He was getting close now. He heard her, heard the dog. He felt his heart pounding, and his fists clenched in anticipation. She was leaving the tower, she had most likely found the basement key. But that didn't matter. He would let her run, he wanted to chase her for a while, he wanted to take her that way. It would be so much better if she was trying to run.

Aureolus just grinned, walking toward him. "Well... I should kill you, Fendari. But I'm not going to. I'm going to make you my greatest work, my most successful experiment." His uneven grin widened. "You will not die, slave. You will live. You will live for a very, very long time."

Fendari put the dark memory out of his mind. Now was not the time for such things. He turned down the hall and saw her outside the door at the bottom of the tower stairs. She had her back turned to him, and she was apparently talking to Poppy. Fendari wasn't sure if the dog would pose a problem yet, it knew him, yet it may try to protect her... either way, not a major inconvenience. He moved swiftly and silently toward her. The time had finally arrived. He stopped right behind her, and saw Poppy looking up at him. Although Leana herself hadn't noticed him, she stood up, about to turn around and see what it was the dog was looking at.

He put his arms around her, one on her right breast and the other over her mouth. She tried to scream, but his hand muffled the sound. She stiffened, then suddenly elbowed him in the stomach and struggled free, obviously terrified and confused. He wasn't sure if his letting her go was an accident or on purpose. She took small steps back from him, not quite sure what to do. He saw the fear in her eyes. There was no point in being tolerant with her anymore. He would get what he wanted now.

"Come with me," he said calmly, advancing on the mortified girl. Poppy barked at him, a confused-sounding, half-warning bark.

Leana shook her head, backing against the wall beside the doorway into the tower. He saw tears shining in the corners of her eyes. "No... Get away from me!"

Fendari kept walking until he was within arm's reach of her. There would be no playing games. He brought his right hand down to the hilt of the old, bloody rapier at his belt, and her wide eyes followed it as he slid it out of the buckle that held it in place. He brought the long, straight sword up and put the point just barely on her chest.

"I said come with me." His tone had changed, it was commanding, menacing. She closed her eyes, looking away and breathing heavily. She was so beautiful... and she looked so good when she was scared. He heard Poppy growling over to the side, but paid the dog no mind and got closer to Leana, touching her face. She jerked away, letting out a terrified whimper, but that just aroused him more. Her skin was so soft, and she smelled like roses... His hand moved down to her waist...

Suddenly, he felt Poppy's jaws clamp onto his ankle. He was afraid that would happen, the treacherous mutt attacking the one that cared for him. He whirled around, roaring more in frustration than pain, and tried to shake the dog off. He felt Leana push him back and run past him, saw her flee down the hallway. Fendari gave a violent kick and the dog went flying after her. He laughed darkly, more to scare her than anything else, and began walking after her, holding the rapier out behind him.


	13. Canine Eyes

**Canine Eyes**

Poppy didn't understand. What was going on? He raced after Daniella, hearing the white-faced man walking behind her. First that other man had been after her... but now him? He was the one that fed Poppy, and he had never done anything harmful before... but Poppy had noticed that there was something wrong between these two humans, he could tell that there was distrust between them... and he actually _attacked _her. The dog knew a weapon when he saw one, and although he had never seen the white-faced man remove it from his side, he knew that now he meant to do his master harm with it.

He had been putting his hands all over her, and she didn't like it, didn't want him to do it. Poppy had tried to warn the man, but he kept coming... so the dog had to protect her. He'd been kicked in the stomach, and it hurt him with each step, but he tried gamely to keep up with her. Now they were being pursued by the most unlikely of people... and so Poppy would be forced to see him no longer as a friend, but as an enemy. He was hurt, confused, and desperately hungry, but at the moment his first priority was keeping his master safe.

She ran down the hall and turned the corner, emerging to the hallway with the bedrooms, now bathed in the soft glow of twilight. Poppy stayed behind, looking down the hall. He saw the white faced man there, walking toward him, glowing strangely in the dark hallway... but it almost seemed like he was letting her get away. Poppy had seen the man move very fast before, but now he was walking leisurely, as if this were some sort of a game to him. Poppy saw Daniella enter one of the bedrooms out of the corner of his eye and shut the door behind her, and he stood at the corner, growling at the approaching man.

The white faced man approached him and took a swing at him with the long, sharp weapon in his hand, muttering something. Poppy jumped back, narrowly avoiding it and barking furiously, and jumped, snapping, at his chest. He nearly knocked the large man over, but he kept his balance and continued past the dog as if he weren't even there. Poppy watched, still growling, as the man walked down the hall, stopping near each doorway. There was no way he could tell which one she was in... was there? He stopped in front of the door she'd gone into for a moment, then said something, knocked on the door, and entered. Poppy was just getting more and more confused... why would he announce his presence to his prey?

Poppy ran after him, following him into the room. He was looking around, opening the bathroom door and trying to find her. Poppy knew she was under the bed, he could feel the heat radiating from her. If he found her, Poppy would have to try to distract him again. The white faced man came out of the bathroom and stopped. He walked right over to the bed, and Poppy began circling him and growling in the most threatening way possible, getting ready to attack. The man stood right in front of the bed, looking down at the space underneath as if he knew exactly where she was. He seemed about to look under and find her... but then he said something else in his deep voice and turned around, walking out the door.

Concerned, Poppy slid down under the bed beside her. He felt her body beside him, and felt her hand grab his fur for comfort. It was moist with sweat. Her hot breath brushed across his fur, and he sidled closer to her, trying to calm her down. Slowly she stopped breathing so heavily and her hand got steadier. She waited in complete silence there for a long time, waiting to see if the man with the white face was going to come back... but Poppy didn't hear anyone outside, and knew that he was gone, at least for the moment.

Slowly, Daniella stuck her head out, looking around fearfully as if she expected the man to have appeared in the room. Slowly she crawled out, getting on her hands and knees and standing up. Poppy did the same, and stood beside her, looking up at her proudly. She looked down, giving a sort of half laugh, half sob at his expression. She seemed very stressed now, very unusual, and Poppy wondered if she was going to be okay. He knew she'd been under a lot of stress recently, what with that other man coming after her and now this... but Poppy had been through it all with her, and knew that the stress probably would have overcome her if he hadn't been there.

It was so strange to him. How could somebody he knew and trusted be trying to kill him now? Things had changed so fast... just like when his owners had thrown him out into the cold, and he'd had no place to go, nobody to turn to... but now, at least he had Daniella. He had to protect her, because he was bound to her now. But even she had walked away from him, and Poppy had been afraid that it was going to be like all those other times, and he would be left alone again... but he had found his way back to her, and she had been so happy to see him. No matter who it was that came after them, he'd be right next to her.

The chase had been intense, and Poppy had forgotten all about his hunger problem... but now it hit him again full force, the pain from getting kicked just making things worse. It hadn't been that hard, and he would be fine, but he was so hungry... He whined, putting his paw up on her leg, hoping she'd understand. She just put her hand down on his head and said a few comforting words, finally walking to the door and opening it, peeking out cautiously. She opened it slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, and beckoned him out as she stepped into the hall. His stomach rumbling, Poppy dejectedly followed her, hoping for any chance of finding something to eat.


	14. All Alone

**All Alone**

Daniella's heart was finally slowing down back to its normal pace. Right when she thought things would get better... now Fendari was chasing her. The servant of the castle was hunting a guest down. It didn't make sense. She'd expected from the beginning that he'd had some ulterior motive by the things he'd told her, the things he'd done to her... but now, it seemed, that motive was finally coming to light. He'd grabbed her, groped her... there was no excuse for what he'd done, but that didn't stop him. Her fears had been confirmed. He wanted to rape her. Each time she learned something new about the mysterious man, the stranger he'd become. And now he was coming after her with that sword of his... was he going to kill her, too?

She knew what her plan was: she had to find Leonardo immediately and tell him about this. He would make sure she came to no harm. And when she saw him next, she'd make sure that he didn't leave without giving her some more answers first. When she'd been hiding under the bed... she heard him knock on the door before he entered, as if he were just going about his normal routine, as if he were afraid of disturbing somebody in here.

"Milady? Are you in here?"

His deep voice rung loud from beyond the door. He must be completely insane. It was like he actually expected her to be fine with whatever he was going to do to her, expected her to just go along with it. He'd opened the door and examined the room, Poppy growling and circling him, and before he left, she saw his black leather boots right in front of the bed. She closed her eyes, thinking it was over, knowing he'd find her... but instead, he just spoke.

"I'm enjoying this. Let's continue it later."

And then he left and closed the door. She just laid there in shock for a while. Did he know where she was? Was this all some sort of twisted game to him? Poppy had come under the bed, trying to comfort her, but she couldn't seem to understand it. Fendari scared her, terrified her in the deepest depths of her soul. He had no face of his own, just that disturbing mask, all the time... and the way he moved, it was almost like he was superhuman. And each time he looked at her she froze up... it was inexplicable, but she knew that if he caught her, her life was over. And this was not the same as running from the agent. Fendari was intelligent, perceptive, and he would not be fooled so easily.

And when he had her cornered... She saw the blue tunic he wore stained deeply with red, as if the man had been bleeding for a long time. Daniella had been so afraid that Poppy wouldn't help her, wouldn't attack somebody he knew. He was hesitant at first, but when the man had gotten too close, he still defended her. She looked down at the dog beside her, who had his head hung low. Something was bothering him. Maybe he was hungry, or thirsty... she'd checked him over in case Fendari had hurt him, but she couldn't find any wounds. She would have to see if she could find any food for him. She took a cautious look around the foyer before she entered, expecting at any moment to see that white mask again.

Satisfied, she stepped out onto the balcony, looking the room over. She had no idea where Leonardo might be right now, and no idea where she should go next... except for the key in her pocket. It opened something in the basement, back in the elevator shaft. She didn't know what was down there, but was pretty sure that she could be safe down there for a while. Fendari wouldn't go to the basement if the elevator was broken... unless there was another way down, which there most likely was, considering the size of this house. He no doubt knew every inch of this house, every passage, every place she could hide.

She bent down and ruffled the fur on Poppy's face, saying his name, trying to cheer him up. The dog looked at her with hopeful eyes and licked her hand, but obviously he was unhappy. She called him and walked down one of the spiral staircases, going down to the first floor. She knew one place she'd be safe, maybe even feel good... but that place was off-limits to her now. Riccardo had told her not to come back, and she didn't want to put him or Fiona in any danger. But she was so lonely right now... she loved Poppy, she owed everything to him, but he wasn't a human. She just wanted to get out of this nightmare. She stared longingly at the entrance doors... but she'd already made the decision to stay. Whether she liked it or not, this seemed to be where she belonged.

She couldn't help but wonder what Riccardo's plan was as she walked past the door to the operating room. He would get discovered there sooner or later. Was he going to leave after whatever he was doing here was done? Or was he going to try and kill Leonardo and take this place for himself? And why did he come here in the first place? She knew that there were things he was hiding, things he wouldn't tell her, but she was getting used to that by now. And thinking back, he really hadn't seemed that bad to her, although she knew Fiona didn't like him...

_I'm sorry._

He'd told her that... and it had been genuine. He may not have liked her, but he didn't want to see any harm come to her. And so far, she'd learned more from him than from anybody else in this place. Leonardo acted nice, and acted as if he loved her and wanted to help her... but there was always this strange undertone whenever he talked to her, this strange look in his eye that wasn't quite right. He didn't know about Fendari chasing her, did he? He knew something... but Daniella may never find out what it was. All she knew was that she was more tense now than ever, and that she wanted to find out the truth about some things around here.

She realized that she'd been unconsciously walking toward the atrium, toward the elevator shaft, and stopped. Did she really want to go to the basement right now? She could look for Leonardo before anything else, but she didn't know whether she would find him or Fendari first. Deciding that she had no other choice right now, she called Poppy and continued walking down the hall. There was no turning back now. If she was going to live here, she would need to know everything about this place and the people in it... although she didn't particularly want to. She looked around the hall as she walked, wondering if there was a kitchen or something around here where she could feed her dog...


	15. Fruitless Search

**Fruitless Search**

"I think it's safe to assume we've lost him."

Officer James Marshall leaned back in his chair, groaning. This had all gone to shit really fast. They hadn't heard from Weston in over a day, and his wife was going crazy. They'd actually had to escort her out of the station. They hadn't been able to tell her yet, because they didn't know themselves, but by now she knew that this was no ordinary drug bust. He was probably dead. And if MI5 caught wind of this, the whole thing would be made public. The Silverpool police department hadn't informed anyone about what they were doing, but the way Marshall saw it he was doing the world a favor.

The last they'd heard from him had been late last night, when he'd told them that he was going to go to Fiona's house to see if he could find her there. From there, they had no idea where he'd gone. But he was either trapped somewhere, or... And eventually, soon, the loss of an officer was going to be investigated. They didn't have much time, because once the government got involved, it would be over. He wondered if the clone Weston had been hunting was still alive. The others had been so easy to dispose of... what was different about this one?

That didn't matter anymore. To make things worse, they had found Fiona missing from her house. Nobody was there, and so now they were trying to find where she was as well... because where she was, Weston may be, too. But they had nothing to go on, nobody to question. They were running in circles. And to top it all off, they hadn't been able to contact Rivers all day, who had been with Weston on the investigation and may know where he went. He was supposed to have come in hours ago, but the man was nowhere to be found.

"James... what are we gonna do about this?" asked Daniels, shaking his head and looking down at the files on his desk, which had led him nowhere.

"We have to stay calm," said Marshall, standing up. "As long as we can keep his wife from contacting... higher authorities for a while, we may be able to find where he went. We have most of the force out there looking for any leads right now. But we don't have much time left."

Daniels just shook his head. "No... I don't believe we do."

* * *

Daniella sat watching Poppy eat the jerky ravenously. She had found a kitchen in one of the doors further down the hallway, and although she couldn't find much that would be suitable for a dog to eat, there was a jar of beef jerky on the counter, and she'd decided to give him a few pieces. He finished them, the look on his face as he looked up at her an unmistakable smile. _He should be fine for now, _she thought, but just in case she decided to pocket a few pieces for later. She bent down and grinned at him.

"Was that good, boy? You can have more later! Come on, we'd better get going."

She moved to the door, opening it slowly and sticking her head out just enough so that she could see both ways down the hall. She was beginning to get so paranoid. She didn't even want to leave the room, but knew that wasn't an option. Everywhere she looked, she could see the white mask staring at her from the shadows, watching her hungrily, reaching out for her...

Slowly she stepped out of the doorway, Poppy trailing close behind her, sniffing at her pocket. She had decided to go to the basement before looking for Leo. she would be safer in the basement if Fendari didn't know she had the key. She walked back down the spacious dark hall toward the atrium. She saw the huge glass doors entering into that paradise once again... but no longer was it inviting to her. The things she had found in the room above, what had happened in the elevator shaft... its beauty had been tainted, and now even there she felt uncomfortable. She pushed on the glass door and walked in.

The gigantic circular room stood as serene as when she'd first seen it, no more water flowing everywhere, the once-calming noise of the waterfall being the only sound. Daniella made haste through the room, the wide-open space now making her feel vulnerable. It just wasn't the same anymore. She took one of the winding paths through the vegetation, looking back only to make sure Poppy was still behind her. He had stopped to take a drink from the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, but now was back at her heels, looking thoroughly refreshed. She made it to the other side of the room, heading straight for the elevator doors, which were still hanging open, and looked deep into the shaft.

She gazed down, seeing the elevator still crashed and knowing what lay underneath, and tried her best not to think about it. She was about to grab onto the ladder to the side when she realized something: Poppy would not be able to go with her. When she was down there, she would be all alone. She would have to defend herself. Turning around, she pet the fur on Poppy's face softly. This wouldn't be easy for him, either.

"I've gotta go down there, Poppy... just wait here for me, okay? Wait."

The dog laid down on his belly, understanding. Daniella took one last look at him, sighing, then swung herself over onto the ladder and began to climb down. She was already feeling scared by the time she reached the shaft bottom. Could she really go on by herself? But she shook the doubts out of her head, forcing herself to be strong. She did not look at the wreck of the elevator, but just jumped down into the bottom doorway when she got close enough. The passage was not lighted, and she could just barely make out big metal double doors at the end.

As she walked down the darkening passage, she heard water dripping around her. As she looked at the walls and the ceiling, she noticed that she was no longer walking in a hall of bricks or polished stone, but more a tunnel of roughly-cut, dark rock. Water dripped from the top, most likely from the atrium above, and Daniella felt one drop onto her nose. She approached the huge doors, and noticed that they were adorned with that same symbol she'd seen on the torture chamber door... two snakes around a cane. She tried opening them, but they wouldn't budge. She was nearly certain when she saw the large keyhole that this is where she had to use the key from the tower. Steadying her hand, she inserted the key and turned it, hearing the click as she did so. Taking the key back out, she pushed hard on the right door and it opened, showing her what was beyond.

Daniella looked out with awe into a vast cavern.


	16. Hidden in Darkness

**Hidden in Darkness**

Daniella stood in the doorway, letting her eyes adjust to the dim torchlight inside. Those same torches adorned the walls, just like the ones she'd seen before, the ones that seemed never to go out... were they somehow alchemically enhanced or something? Before her she saw a large, spacious stone cave, and was trying in her head to find any reason why they would have such a place below the mansion. She slowly walked further in, the damp, cool air coming in through her nostrils. It smelled very musty down here, and once again Daniella got that feeling that nobody had been here in a while.

As she finally adjusted to the darkness, she looked around. There were things on the floor by her... pickaxes, shovels, other sharp objects. Did this used to be some sort of mining operation? Now that she could see better, she spotted large, dark holes along the edges of the cavern... undoubtedly mining shafts. She saw an empty steel cart lying on its side not far from her, and wondered just what they had been taking from here. If they were hiding it under the mansion... was it something illegal? For some reason, judging by the secluded location and the locked doors, somebody wanted to keep this place a secret.

Daniella continued going deeper into the darkness, determined to find what she came here for. She wasn't quite sure what that was, but knew that all that she'd done wasn't going to lead her to a dead end now. Maybe this is what they were trying to hide, with all those puzzles and traps and keys... maybe this is where it all led. She began shivering involuntarily, not from the cool air, but in anticipation. There was something important down here. Something she sought. And right now... the only thing she sought was answers. About this place, about this strange conspiracy going on around her, about Aureolus and Leana and Leonardo and Fendari and Riccardo... her search had led her here.

Ahead of her, near the back of the cavern and bathed in the flickering orange light, stood a stone pedestal. She approached it cautiously, unsure of exactly what it was for. She saw some sort of parchment lying on top of it, along with a small cloth bag and some other object that she couldn't make out in the dim light. She looked around, making sure nobody was here, but knew even before she looked that whatever this place was used for had been abandoned long, long ago. She walked up to the pedestal, placing her hands on the cold, wet stone, and took a closer look, when suddenly she recoiled in shock.

A skeletal hand was placed over the parchment, and she saw brown stains on the paper, unmistakably blood, just very, very old. It was as if whoever had been holding it had simply had their hand cut off and were taken away. She took another quick look around out of nervousness. Had there been murder committed in this place as well? This house was stained with blood... she recalled the skeletons in the crest room, the mummies in the room above the atrium... and she was just adding to the pile of bodies by murdering someone herself. She'd been having a hard time coping with the death of the agent, even though she kept trying to tell herself it was life or death, and she'd had to do it... but images of the man haunted her mind, the nails sticking out of his head, the malice in his eyes...

Sighing, she closed her eyes. She couldn't allow herself to do this, not now. Poppy was waiting for her, and besides, she felt insecure down here... even though that could be said about anywhere in this godforsaken place. With a trembling hand, she picked up the piece of parchment, which was actually remarkably dry when compared to the stone it was lying on. She walked closer to one of the torches and squinted at the document, hoping to find a clue, a message, anything. The ink that had been used to write had almost faded away completely, but Daniella could make most of it out. It appeared to be some sort of personal account.

_We have been working down here for months now... or is it years? We have not been able to go outside for so long, or see our families. Just doing the same job every day. The money is decent enough, but the work we do becomes more questionable with each day. Always looking for the same stuff, which the old man calls "Prima Materia" or something... It's supposedly used in alchemy. Every once in a while, we'll find a more "purified" version of it. The old man was delighted when I showed him that white deposit that I'd found. Something about how it was the stone of the gods or something. As for this Prima Materia, we find it all the time down here. Apparently for some reason, this place is the only spot in the whole world where it can be found. It looks like worthless rock to me, but it's obviously more valuable. How, I don't know, but I've never questioned it. Not until recently._

_He started taking us some time ago now. He comes down and tells one of us that he needs us to help him with his research, and then we never see them again. The first one was poor Winfred... and by now our numbers have been reduced greatly. There are only about fifteen of us left. Where does he take them? Does he fire them, let them go free? Or is it something else? Albert, the last one to go, actually tried putting up a fight against the man, he was convinced that Aureolus was going to kill him... and I couldn't believe my eyes. The bastard actually lit him on fire with a wave of his hand! I swear, after seeing something like that, I want out._

_Why couldn't I have listened to my wife and worked in the Charterhouse Quarry or something? At least they get to go home, and they know what they're taking out of the ground. A few of us have been talking about just leaving. We don't know what he's been doing with the ones he took, but I don't want to take my chances. We're going to try and sneak out tonight sometime, beca_

And it just ended. Daniella examined the rest of the parchment critically, but nothing was there but the old bloodstains. What had stopped him so abruptly? And what was this "Prima Materia" he was talking about? Some sort of stone used in alchemy, it seemed. And from the way it was written, it sounded like Aureolus had kept the mine workers trapped down here. And if this is the only spot in the world that it can be mined... The staggering realization dawned on Daniella that this, all around her, was why this house existed, why it was built. She had been wondering about it, why Aureolus Belli would have built a mansion if he already owned a castle, and so far away... but now she knew why. It was built to cover up these mines, to make sure that he was the only one that had access to them. Her head spun, trying to comprehend what she had found.

She walked back over to the pedestal, looking down again at the skeleton hand. Whoever's hand that was was most likely the man who'd written this... had he had them all killed? He didn't want them to tell anybody what they'd been doing, so he used them in his experiments, killed them off one by one... the very notion made Daniella sick to her stomach. She looked around at the other things there... Some sort of magnifying glass-like object, and that bag. She examined the magnifying glass, putting the parchment back down. It was a strange sort of lens that distorted everything that was seen through it. She put it back down, as it was making her kind of dizzy, and noticed that the parchment looked completely different than before.

On it was apparently drawn a map of the house, roughly sketched and not very detailed... but she recognized many of the rooms there. They had the first and second floors sketched out, and she recognized the atrium, the operating room... but there was a whole other section she hadn't been to yet on the second floor... her attention was drawn to a particularly large room in the center of this section, labeled "Ballroom". She picked up the parchment again, flipping it over and noticing that this was just drawn on the other side of it. And scrawled in the upper-left corner was a small message:

_When the moon is straight overhead the glass ceiling in the main hall, look at it through the Lens of True Sight and mark the spot on the map. The Truth is well hidden._

She rubbed her eyes. Another stupid riddle was exactly what she did NOT need right now. Nevertheless, it would no doubt come in handy, so she pocketed both the parchment and the lens, noting that with the key and the jerky, her one pocket was beginning to become quite full. She picked up the final item, a burlap pouch no bigger than her hand. It felt... warm for some reason, whatever was inside must be radiating heat. She undid the small string and held the bag upside down over her hand, into which a small red stone dropped.

As soon as the stone made contact with her skin, Daniella gasped, feeling a searing pain in her left shoulder. She instinctively grasped it with her right hand, dropping the small stone and feeling around her shoulder, where the pain was just growing worse. She felt no wounds there, knew she hadn't gotten any, and craned her neck around, trying to figure out what had happened. And she saw that, through the white fabric of her blouse, the back of her shoulder was _glowing. _A bright red light welled out of a strange mark there, a mark that up until now she didn't know she had. What did it mean? What did that stone do to her? ...And then she saw the silhouette.

There, in the now open doorway, was the silhouette of a tall man holding something long and thin. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that somehow, Fendari had found her down here. She scrambled to get out of the light, but knew he had to have seen her. And that door was the only way out.

"Miss, I see you," came his unnerving, deep voice, echoing throughout the cave. "Come now, I'm sure we can work something out."

She pressed her sweaty back against the cold stone of the wall, trying to stay as far away from the torchlight as possible, not making a sound. Fendari shook his head, then entered the cave, heading for the back. He radiated that pale light again... it made him look like some sort of spirit, made him look even more intimidating. As he walked toward her, he spoke.

"I see you've discovered your mark. The sign of a true Belli. A reminder that you're just a clone, Leana... nothing more. It's no use running from me. I can find you no matter where you go here. Your fate is inevitable... you are destined to be with me, to save me! Don't you understand?"

Daniella watched him come straight at her and cowered, feeling helpless without Poppy beside her. He was insane, what he said made no sense, he thought she was someone else... She knew that somehow, he saw her, and that her only chance of escape was to run... but fear kept her plastered to the wall. Cold fear pulsing through her veins whenever he was near, whenever he spoke... Taking as much strength as she could and formulating a desperate plan in her head, Daniella pushed herself off the wall, yelling, and ran straight toward him. Fendari, not expecting this, stopped and watched her.

But before she reached him, she stopped and bent down, picking up one of the old pickaxes lying on the floor. She held it menacingly, staring straight at him.

"You come any closer and I'll kill you," she said, the terror evident in her wavering voice.

Fendari just laughed quietly, and continued advancing on her. She pulled the weapon back, prepared to strike, but suddenly... he moved with inhuman speed, swooping down under her and catching the axe handle with his hand. Daniella froze, struck dumb for a moment as she felt the pickaxe slide out of her grip and clatter harmlessly to the floor, and Fendari took advantage of it. The point of his rapier came up to the side of her neck and he held it there, laughing darkly again. He was enjoying her suffering, feeding on her terror. As he dragged the rusty blade down the length of her neck, she heard him inhale deeply through his nostrils, as though taking her in, enjoying the scent of the sweat and blood and tears...

She was riveted to the spot, her absolute fear of this man holding her in place. It was like his whole life revolved around her, every part of his being was fixated on her. And he called her "Leana", just like Leonardo, but it was different when Fendari said it. It was as if he had been waiting for her since she was alive, planning this, all these perverse desires coming from a lifetime of torture... but that was impossible. Leana Belli lived over 500 years ago. She cleared her head, trying to break this trance he had her in. She felt his hands, covered by the white linen gloves he wore, on her body once again, moving up her heaving stomach... she knew that there was only one thing she could do now. She had to catch him off-guard.

Daniella swiftly and suddenly brought her knee up into his groin. She heard him yell in pain and she broke free of his grip, running for the doors. She didn't look back, every second it felt like he was right behind her. The only sound was her blood pounding in her ears as she reached the huge metal doors. She pulled on the handle with a terror-induced strength, ripping the door open and running through. She caught a glimpse of Fendari's ethereal form coming at her as the doors shut, and she fumbled in her pocket for the key to the doors. If she could just... she pulled it out of her pocket and jammed it in the keyhole, turning it as hard as possible and immediately sinking to the floor, drained of all strength. It was over. He was locked in, and couldn't chase her anymore, he could never get out now... could he?


	17. Shattered Past

**Shattered Past**

Poppy paced back and forth in the doorway, looking down into the elevator shaft. Daniella had been down there for a long time, but that wasn't what bothered him. Only seconds after she'd disappeared from Poppy's sight, he saw the white-faced man again. He was climbing down the metal thing on the other side of the shaft, coming from somewhere up above. Poppy had started barking, not at him, but to warn his master. What if he caught her down there? Poppy wanted to be able to help her, but knew he could not from here. Did he somehow know she was down there?

It had been silent for some time since then, and Poppy had no idea what was going on down there. If she was caught, it would be his fault. He wasn't there to protect her. Just like it had been his fault before... with the little girl...

When Poppy had been a pup, he had lived in a litter with all of his brothers and sisters and his mother... but soon, they all got separated. People began taking them away, and one by one, all his siblings disappeared, until he was the only one left with his mother. There was something people didn't like about him... and Poppy, being very intelligent even as a puppy, thought he knew what it was. He couldn't see colors well, but he noticed that his mother had been a beautiful brown shade, and his siblings had all been brown or white... but whenever Poppy caught a glimpse of his backside, whether he be scratching or bathing or anything else... he saw black. He was the only one of his litter with black-on-white fur, and judging by the way everyone looked at him, this was not a normal color for the type of dog that he was.

And then one day, he saw a very small girl, much younger than Daniella. She looked different than any other human he'd ever seen before. All the ones he'd ever seen had black hair and slanted eyes... but she had bright blonde hair, the most vibrant blue eyes, and they just lit up when she saw Poppy. She played with him, and Poppy had the time of his life. She took him out of the crate for the first time, and brought him over to a tall, fat, bald man who also looked much different than anybody he'd ever seen. It was like they were coming to him from a far-away land.

She seemed to be pleading with him, begging him... and apparently he finally gave in, because she instantly became happy and took him with her, petting him and talking to him about something, just like Daniella always did. It didn't really matter that he couldn't understand her... it made him feel good. She took him everywhere with her, and Poppy, who had never even been outside that small box, was fascinated by everything in the world, and developed a deep bond with this girl. After a few days, though, she gave him away to these people who put him in another box, one with a top on it so he couldn't see anything.

He felt like he was moving, but wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that it was very uncomfortable, and hours later when the box was finally opened again he was so relieved to see that girl standing there looking down at him. She and the other man took him with them, and Poppy soon realized that wherever he was now, this was where they were from. All the people looked different, all the smells and the places were different... and they brought him back to their house, a place he could finally call home. At least for a while...

He had a normal development as far as he was concerned. Everything seemed great, except for the other boy who lived at the house, who didn't seem to like him too much. The little girl always took him out, always spent time with him, and he was happy where he was. But soon he caught on that something was happening. The girl was always crying, Poppy would sometimes hear her screaming in her room, and there was nothing he could do for her... She seemed fine sometimes, but something was wrong with her. One night, Poppy found out what.

That man that had been with her had taken her into his room most obviously against her will, and Poppy heard her in there, in pain, that man was doing something to her... He started barking, but it didn't help. All he could do was sit helplessly as she was being hurt. Finally, a long time later, he saw her come out. She was bruised, her clothes were disheveled, and her once-beautiful blue eyes had this blank look in them... what had he done to her? This happened more than once, and Poppy grew more and more concerned for her. She became more and more depressed, stopped taking Poppy out, stopped talking to him, just cried all the time.

And then... the day she took him out again. She seemed so happy, just like when he'd first seen her, she talked to him, it seemed like everything would be back to the way it used to be... but then... she took off his leash, and Poppy waited to see what kind of game she was playing. She climbed up onto a branch in a big tree, and she put the leash on herself, and strung it around the branch... she jumped off, and just hung there. Poppy barked confusedly as he heard her choke, watched all the life drain from her eyes. He knew something wasn't right as she went limp, and began running circles below her, barking as loudly as possible, hoping anybody would hear him... but nobody did.

It was hours later when that man found them, Poppy still running around below her, still barking. The man sunk to his knees, shaking his head. When he got up, he cut the leash and took her with him, and Poppy never saw the girl again. And after that... he wasn't fed, wasn't taken care of, and was eventually kicked out. That's when the red-haired man found him... but Poppy would never forget seeing that girl hanging there, just staring. He had failed to protect her. It was all his fault. That was why it was so important to him now. He didn't want that to happen again, he wouldn't let her down again. But he had. Here he was, pacing uselessly as his helpless master was down there with somebody who meant her harm.

And when he saw Daniella come up on that metal thing and look at him again, he felt relief flood through him. She jumped down to him, and he nearly tackled her because he was so glad to see her. She laughed, apparently just as glad to see him. She hugged him close to her, and he heard her heart beating quickly in her chest. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. It was his job to protect her, and he would do it at any cost. It would not be his fault again.


	18. Riccardo's Plan

**Riccardo's Plan**

"I don't think I've ever gone this long without a shower."

Riccardo looked over at Fiona as she said this. She looked as good as ever to him, but he knew that the longer he kept her in here, the more uncomfortable she would become. At first, it was by choice that he had been keeping her locked in here with him. He wanted her to warm up to him, and it had happened much faster than even he had expected. He knew that the trauma she'd received from her experiences at the castle must have really scarred her, but already she was beginning to talk to him as though she trusted him, albeit grudgingly. His own outfit was beginning to smell, and he supposed he couldn't blame her for wanting a shower. He was really beginning to hate this room as well, and all the shitty food they had to eat, and knew that they would both be better off if they were out of it.

"Don't worry, my dear. I'm taking care of it."

Riccardo finally replied to her, filling the small leather pouch he always carried with him with the iron balls he used as ammunition. His powder flask was already filled, he had made sure it was before he'd come. He knew he would have to go hunting here, and now is when he would start. It was one of the few things he loved to do, and he had been looking forward to this since his arrival. The thrill he got out of hunting down another human being, the satisfaction he got when he finally took down his prey... and he always did. Leonardo was an alchemist, just like him, but Riccardo had never been trained in the powers Leo posessed. No matter. That would only make things more interesting.

Leonardo, having mastered all of the finer aspects of alchemy, knew how to create fire with his own hands, he even knew how to teleport... but if everything went according to plan, none of that would matter. He was still mortal, and a well-placed bullet to the head would kill him just the same as it would anybody else. Riccardo had been here before, knew all of the hallways and rooms by heart. And he was also very good at stalking a person. He knew how to walk softly, knew how to keep himself concealed in shadow. It came as easily as anything else to him, it was like a reflex. His whole life he had been hidden in shadow, it was like his second skin. God knew it was more appealing than the skin he had now...

It was really too bad. Riccardo had never really known Leonardo. He had spoken to the man a few times, but that was all, and now he was going to kill him. As far as he was concerned, though, every single one of the incarnations of Aureolus Belli were the same anyway, every one of them as vile as the next. He knew well that he was one himself, but seeing as how Leo had inherited Aureolus' mansion, where all of his research was kept, he was trying to carry on the family "legacy", which had by now become a joke... but a dangerous one. He had been keeping in close contact with Lorenzo over the past few months, and Riccardo had found out that this was where they'd wanted to take Fiona in the first place. What they were planning on doing with her, Riccardo did not know, and didn't want to. Leo was just as bad, if not worse, than the old man himself.

Riccardo had been trying. His whole life he'd been trying to prove himself to Lorenzo, his "father". The concept was laughable. That monster could never be a father. But Riccardo had kept trying to learn, and he'd always failed. He had been trying to clone himself as Lorenzo had for twenty years, and every time he failed. The closest he'd ever gotten was Debilitas, that abomination that he had been too merciful to destroy. He saw himself in those huge, deformed eyes... a failure that hadn't been disposed of when it should have been. But he had kept trying, and they always came out horribly wrong. The other ones that had been salvageable were completely white, incoherent, and looked nothing like him. He had convinced himself that it was because of his Azoth deficiency, that his insufficient Azoth prevented him from being able to create a successful clone of himself... but there was always this nagging doubt in the back of his mind that he just wasn't good enough, that he would never be good enough. That was what Lorenzo had always told him. The old bastard.

"What do you mean? ...Where are you going?" replied Fiona, watching him inspect the silver barrel of his pistol.

"I'm going to be getting you out of here, Fiona," he replied, placing the gun under the rope around his waist. "That is what you want, isn't it? I trust you and Hewie will be fine in here for a while. You don't want me anywhere near you anyway, right?

"You're going after that man," said Fiona, walking over near him. "Well... you're right, I hate you, and I don't want you around me... but as long as we're here, you believe it's your job to protect me. Isn't that what you said?"

Riccardo just stared at her, the stark contrast of her statement just making him more confused. "Yes. That is what I said."

"Well then... you should let me come with you. Hewie and I could help you."

"What?" Now he was just angry. Silly girl... "Absolutely not. This man is dangerous, Fiona, and I can't have him knowing I'm there. You would only be a burden."

"Please... I want out of here. I can help you! I can create a distraction for you or something..."

"NO!" Riccardo had tried to keep from yelling at her, but he couldn't. Old habits die hard. What she was suggesting was ludicrous, she would be in grave danger if she was anywhere near that man, and she and her dog would only screw it all up for him. But if he had hurt her feelings, she didn't show it. She stared him right in the eyes, looking at him not with hatred, but determination.

"I'll do what I want to," she told him defiantly, but her wavering voice and her shaky posture seemed to state otherwise. He knew that this approach was not going to make her change her mind very easily, and he was in no mood to argue with her. Trying hard not to show his frustration, he decided to try something different.

"Fiona, please try and understand that the reason I'm going to do this is so you will be safe. If I allowed you to put yourself in harm's way, then I could lose you. I'm supposed to be protecting you, remember? I can only do this by myself. I'll come straight back after I'm finished."

Her gaze faltered and broke, and she appeared to be thinking it over. She looked down at Hewie, who was sitting by her side. She sighed, her beautiful milky shoulders slumping, and Riccardo knew that he had her. She was so easy to win over. Still so naive...

"Well... all right. But come straight back."

Riccardo grunted in response, and put up his hood. This would be fun. Not as fun as when he was chasing Fiona, but it would be enough to finally get his blood pumping again. He was about to move for the door, but one more thought occurred to him, and he turned back to her.

"If I'm not back within two hours, you have to try and find a way out of this room. Use any means necessary. If Leonardo finds you, you'll be in for a fate much worse than anything I could do to you."

"Why don't you just leave me the key?" asked Fiona.

"My dear... don't insult my intelligence," responded Riccardo, chuckling. He walked to the door, unlocking it.

"...Be careful," he heard Fiona say meekly, and for a moment he froze. He wanted to turn around, wanted to ask her why she was at all concerned about his well-being... it seemed so strange to him. She was a very interesting girl, too trusting for her own good. After all he'd put her through, she was still concerned... But he didn't ask her anything. He pretended not to hear her, and opened the door. He took an involuntary step back as he saw the man standing right on the other side. It was Fendari.

"What the... what are you doing there? You scared me half to death!" Riccardo exclaimed angrily. He didn't have time for this now...

"I've come to ask you a favor."


	19. True Sight

**True Sight**

Daniella emerged once again into the foyer, Poppy close behind. He had been sniffing at her pocket so she gave him another piece of jerky, which he was occupying his mouth with right now. With Fendari locked into the cavern, Daniella was hoping against hope that she would not be seeing him any more. But he seemed to possess unseen powers, always showing up where least expected, and something told her in the back of her mind that she had not seen the last of him. She shuddered at the mere thought, but tried to put her mind at ease, at least for the moment. Right now, she was fine.

As she passed through, she stopped in the center of the room and looked straight up. The small glass circle in the center of the painted ceiling was brightly lit by the huge full moon shining boldly overhead, and she couldn't have asked for a better situation. She'd come because of the message she'd seen scrawled on the map parchment. Apparently something was supposed to happen if she looked up at the moon in this room through that lens she'd found. She carefully removed the rolled-up map from her side pocket and unfurled it, examining it again.

Poppy, having scarfed down the beef jerky, looked hopefully at her, wagging his tail. Daniella just smiled and shook her head.

"Not now, boy. We have to save some of this. You don't want to be going hungry later, do you?"

Poppy, not really understanding her but recognizing the response as negative, looked down at the floor and sniffed around, possibly to try and find any he may have dropped. Looking away, Daniella focused on the task at hand, removing the lens from her pocket. She examined it skeptically, wondering if this was just a joke, but decided there was no other course of action she could take. She held the lens high above her head, looking through it at the white moon. Nothing seemed to be happening, and she began to feel stupid... when suddenly she saw a translucent shape begin to take form on the lens. It seemed to be... _condensing _the moonlight somehow, and as she looked through it, the bright light shone into her eye, beginning to hurt it, and she had to pull away from it.

When she looked down, projected onto the floor by the lens was a fluid blue shape. It appeared to be a circle with four knobs spaced evenly around it. But what was that supposed to mean to her? She held the lens in place and stared at the shape for a while, Poppy deciding to sniff at it and upon deciding it was harmless, walk through it. Shaking her head, she lowered her arm, and the shape disappeared. She examined the parchment again, hoping to try and understand what this was. There, in the message...

_Mark the spot on the map. The Truth is well hidden._

She looked down at the map. Of course, the shape was a room in the mansion... and there it was, in the area she hadn't ventured to on the second floor. It was a circular room, and those four knobs on the sides were actually hallways into other rooms. "Specimen room" was written in the center, and Daniella wondered what kind of specimen was stored there, unsure if she really wanted to find out... but she'd been chasing these clues ever since she'd gotten here, and she wasn't about to stop now. She knew that she could very well be living here a long time, and that's how she justified it... but there was this desire to uncover more secrets here burning within her, and although she wasn't quite sure where such a strong feeling came from, she knew that this was what had been driving her the whole time... and now it burned stronger than ever.

"Daniella? What are you doing down there?"

As soon as she heard the familiar voice, Daniella felt instantly relieved. She looked up, and Leonardo was standing up on the second floor balcony, his handsome face looking down at her... but when she saw the look in his eyes, she felt the relief slowly seep away. He looked very angry... but suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he appeared to have regained his composure, and began slowly descending the right spiral staircase.

"Where did you find those things? I thought I'd hidden them away..."

She ran up to meet him, trying to explain to him what had happened. Although it wasn't a very good reason to have been snooping around his house, she still needed to tell him.

"Leo, I am so glad to see you... I think... Fendari's gone insane or something! He's trying to kill me!"

She knew that Fendari wasn't really trying to kill her, that he had another agenda on his mind... but she didn't feel very good telling him that.

"Fendari? Are you sure? I think you must have been imagining things, his manner can be quite frightening at times, but I doubt he would ever..."

"No, I'm positive! He's been coming after me with that sword of his, and I locked him down in the basement where I found these things... do... do you believe me?

Something about the way he was looking at her just made her feel as if he weren't taking her seriously. But he nodded, reaching out and running his hand along her face. Again, Daniella fought the urge to draw away from him, not because she didn't like him, but because he still seemed like such a stranger...

"I believe you, my wife... I'll have to have a nice, long talk with him. He's normally a very good servant, I don't know quite what's gotten into him lately. I'm surprised you were able to find your way into the basement, though. You are very clever, I'll have to keep an eye on you."

Daniella swallowed, all the questions that had been filling her head finally rising to the surface again. She needed him to be honest with her.

"Leo... those people working in the mines. Were they... did he really kill them?"

She saw his expression change quickly, to one of deep disturbance. Maybe she shouldn't have asked him that...

"If I were you, Daniella, I wouldn't be wandering around this place. Some of this information was not meant for you."

"What? If I'm going to be your wife, and I'm going to live here, I want to know about the place I'm living in! I have every right to know!"

She flushed a little, realizing too late that she'd let too much of her true feelings into that statement. It annoyed her that he wanted to keep her in the dark about these things, but she didn't want him to be angry at her, either. He just sighed, never taking his eyes off her.

"I know... but for right now, you should be resting. You don't need to be worrying yourself with any of this."

"But I can't rest! Fendari is _after _me, didn't you hear me?" exclaimed Daniella. "If he finds me, there's no telling what he'll do!"

"I understand, and as I said, I'll find him. But all of this exploring you've been doing will likely get you killed. This whole mansion is protected, and if you fall for one of the traps, it may be the last thing you ever do."

"But... all I want to know is what it is you're protecting," she said softly, getting the feeling that it was something he did not want her to know. Confirming this was the dry, exasperated tone with which he said his next words to her.

"Some things are better left unknown, wife. Believe me when I say this."

"I'm sorry, Leonardo," Daniella said, shaking her head. "I want to... but it's just not good enough."

For a moment, she saw a look of fury enter his eyes and she recoiled slightly, wondering what he would do. But again, it disappeared, replaced by that smile that had begun to look more fake every time she saw it. He did not want her in his business, that much was evident. He moved close to her and took her in his arms, Poppy eying him suspiciously but seeing that his master was not trying to fight him.

Daniella was very confused as to what he really thought of her, but knew that he was out to help her, not to do her harm, and so she allowed herself to relax in his arms. She felt his muscular body against her, and looked up into his dark eyes, and found herself completely captivated by him. It made her forget about all her suspicions of him and just look at him as a man. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to feel him in bed with her, inside her... and her face burned as she suddenly looked away from him. She had never thought in that way before, and was apalled at herself. Was it possible she had her own perverse fantasies somewhere within her mind? The thought scared her, and she backed away from him, knowing that her face was probably visibly red. Leo just smiled wider, still looking into her eyes.

"Don't be frightened of me, Daniella. I only want to help you. I promise, I will tell you the answers you seek in time... but right now I have to make sure you are completely safe here. Please, just stay put for now, all right?"

Daniella nodded before she even had time to think about it, still embarrassed. It was like her mind had a will of its own, as if there were memories there but they were locked away, her identity was there but in a dark, obscure corner, waiting to reveal itself... she didn't even know who she was, let alone how to control her own thoughts, and this was the first time she'd really thought about it. She looked back at Leo as he walked down past her, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he went by.

"Get some rest, my dear... I will be seeing you again soon. Don't worry about anything here, I'll take care of everything."

And with that, he walked away, his footsteps fading as he disappeared down the hall on the first floor. Daniella gripped the railing on the stairway, trying to regain the senses that seemed to have failed her when he was near. She sighed, realizing she hadn't gotten any of the answers she needed out of him. She had forgotten all about them, he'd made her forget. And she realized she'd lied to him as well. She knew she couldn't stay away from that circular room, knew she had to continue on searching for the answer to a question she didn't even know. She needed to know what this house was hiding, and if Leo wouldn't tell her, she'd find out herself or die trying. Trying to push all thoughts of him out of her head but finding it harder than she expected, she called Poppy and ascended the stairs.


	20. The Memento

**The Memento**

Fendari walked into the hallway outside of the operating room, having done what he'd wanted to. Riccardo seemed to have no problem with his proposal, not that Fendari expected him to, but one never knew... He had told Riccardo to create a certain amount of Nigred for him, an alchemic concoction. Riccardo questioned why he would want that, as Nigred was very undesirable. Enough of it completely incapacitated a person, dulling all of their senses and draining them of their stamina. Fendari had told him his plan... that Riccardo would create the concoction, then give it to Leana when she came back to him.

That would not be a hard thing to ensure... he did not want to injure his precious trophy unless it was necessary... but Poppy, on the other hand, had become expendable. If he injured the dog badly enough, there was no doubt in his mind that she would come running back to Riccardo in the operating room. Surprisingly, Riccardo did question what Fendari was going to do with her, and of course he did not answer. Riccardo owed him this for giving him life again, and it was not his place to question. So he had agreed, and Fendari had left him, saying that he needed it finished within the hour. He hadn't even looked at Fiona, she was of no concern to him.

What Riccardo did _not _know was that the life that had been given to him would soon be taken back. He was not going to live to see the dawn. The thought of reviving the man had not occurred until Fendari had been standing over his body on the viaduct. That was when he thought of it... if he revived him, then Riccardo would no doubt want to go after Fiona again, who was now living in London. Leonardo had known where she lived for the time being, but had been too apprehensive about taking her from there himself. All Fendari had to do was to write that information down and put it in Riccardo's pocket. Fendari had heard of his sabotaging Lorenzo to get to her first, and knew that Riccardo would do anything to get to her.

And of course the police were bound to find Belli Castle sooner or later, and with them there, the two would have nowhere else to go... except here. And the plan had worked flawlessly, they were both right where he wanted them. Fendari was determined to hunt down each and every last Belli for what they had done to him, and ensure that the family was destroyed forever... and now they were all inside of one house. He could not have asked for a better situation. Not only did the plan work to bring them both here, though, it got better... he had suspected he may want to use Riccardo's alchemic skills to help him subdue his prey, and so he had been able to ask this of him in exchange for "bringing him back to life". And once Leana had ingested the Nigred, it would only be a matter of minutes before she was completely disoriented, at which point Fendari could finally take her, and do to her what he'd been longing to for so, so long...

Reviving Riccardo had been a terrible experience, but one he'd been forced to go through for the sake of his plans. He knew he possessed the power to do it... but had never actually done it before. He had known ever since he had brought a dead insect back to life simply by touching it, and he had known that these powers were just a part of the curse upon him. He had the ability to give life while each day it was being taken away from him and replaced with this vile, corrupt Azoth. His body had become a vicious cycle, acting on its own, and just as he thought he was going to finally experience the peace of death, he was ripped back into this unholy, never-ending existence. Just as he was brought back each time he died, he could bring others back as well. He could heal their vital organs, piece them back together and revive them. But they didn't have to live this way, they had no idea what it was like for him...

He had spread the Azoth through the most obvious passage into the body, the mouth. He had "kissed" Riccardo, giving him the pure Azoth that still remained inside of him, while retaining all of the tainted Azoth his body had created. He had felt his humanity slipping away and into Riccardo, what made him who he was. And now the empty void within him was deeper, and Leana was the only one who could fill it again. He wanted her so badly... she could lift this curse, her special Azoth could cleanse him... god, how he wanted her. She had been the only woman he'd ever had, and she'd loved him, and with each day he remembered what it was like being with her, until it was all he ever thought about, all that was important to him.

Yes, once he'd taken care of Leonardo, he would slaughter both Riccardo and Fiona... and he would enjoy it. But first he was going to have Leana. He could not wait any longer. And she was so much younger now, full of life... the moment he'd waited too long for was finally here. And while chasing her gave him much perverse pleasure, he was not going to be fooling around anymore. The more he tried to keep that vision of her out of his head, the stronger it came back. The vision of her bathing under the waterfall... her beautiful nude body looking more perfect than he could ever have imagined. And soon he would have it all to himself... But he would still have to follow the plan. Obeying the growing urge to just take her right now, killing the dog and fucking her wherever he found her, would not be very wise. It was so hard to wait now that the moment was upon him... but he had been waiting five centuries, and so an hour was nothing to him.

He leaned back against the cold stone wall, fingering the hilt of his rapier. This was the first time he'd used it in a very, very long time, and it succeeded in scaring her just as much as he thought it would. He could bide his time for now. In the shadows, he saw the faint blue tint on his skin, a memento, the reminder of what he'd become... and waited, knowing that soon, he would be healed.


	21. Riddle of the Behemoth

**Riddle of the Behemoth**

Daniella looked once more down at the map, making sure she knew where she was going. She was trying to get to that specimen room, and was pretty sure she was almost there, but the map had been so roughly sketched in parts that she wasn't quite sure. She'd passed through the moonlit hallway with the torture chamber, came around the courtyard that she found the last crest in, and now she stood before a large steel door she hadn't noticed before. This apparently led right into the room, but there was a small problem... if it ended up being locked, she had no idea where to find the key. Looking behind her to make sure Poppy was still there, she turned the handle an heaved a sigh of relief as it swung noisily open.

Another dark hallway lay beyond, but it was short, opening up into what appeared to be a large room. Hoping that she'd read the map right this time, and that this was the place she was supposed to go, Daniella called Poppy, who had jumped back at the sound of the rusty door hinges, and walked into the hallway. As the big room opened up before her, she noticed it was well-lit, which she was glad to see after walking through all those dark, torchlit halls. And there was something in the middle, something big, But she couldn't make it out until she was already almost in the room, and when she saw it she stopped dead.

A huge dragon stood on a raised platform in the center of the room. No, not a dragon... a dinosaur. A titanic, mean-looking dinosaur, it was obviously a carnivore judging by its teeth, and although she didn't know much on the subject, it looked similar to a Tyrannosaurus, with short arms and massive, muscular legs. It stood completely still, just a model or something. Poppy came in by her side, looking curiously up at the creature. She approached it, wondering as she had so many times before why this was here, why this house had things like this... and read the small, dust covered gold plaque there.

_Carcharodontosaurus saharicus_

_Late Cretaceous_

She looked back up at it, examining the skin on its leg and running her hand across it. It felt so real, very tough and exactly how she would've imagined a dinosaur's skin felt... and strangely, the image of Riccardo popped into her head. She actually giggled a little at the thought, remembering touching his hand, with almost the same texture as this. But... it looked so authentic, as if somebody had just caught one and sent it through a time machine. Obviously it was just a model... it had to be... but it must have cost millions to get such an authentic replica, and she wondered idly what kind of a person would spend so much money on such a strange decoration, let alone even want it in their house.

Finally taking her eyes off of the "specimen", Daniella saw that she was undoubtedly in the right room. The room was large and circular, and there were four evenly-spaced hallways coming into the room, one of which she'd just entered from. The one that was straight across from her was the largest, with two large doors standing solidly at the end. The side hallways were small and dark, and she could see doors at the ends of them as well. She stood wondering where she was going to go, and decided on the big hall across from her, as it seemed the most inviting.

She walked around the large dinosaur, still looking at it. Poppy was making circles around it, apparently unsure what to think. It was kind of scary, how real it looked. It appeared as if it could come to life at any moment and snap her in two, and it was a little unnerving, so she made haste to the short hallway. As she came up to the doors, she saw the huge padlock, and sighed in dismay. Another locked door was not what she needed right now. Instead of a keyhole, this one had an intricately-shaped depression in the center, like some sort of object was meant to be placed there. There was obviously no way around it, and she didn't have whatever opened it, so for now she was stuck here. She walked back into the room, calling Poppy to her side and looking back and forth from one hallway to another. The two looked identical, but both were probably hiding their own dark secrets or dangerous traps...

Daniella walked to the right, deciding she had to start somewhere, and entered the small hallway on that side of the room. Poppy trotted along behind her, still glancing back uncertainly at the monster in the room. She approached the wooden door cautiously, but found it unlocked, and she opened it easily. The door opened up into a big library, with tall bookshelves going all the way up to the ceiling. The image of the library in the other house flashed before her eyes, and then the image of the maid, horribly impaled by the glass... she couldn't control this, her mind was playing tricks on her... Suddenly, she saw the same image, but this time it was _her _that had the glass sticking through her... she felt her breath shorten, felt her knees hit the floor...

She was finally brought back to reality by a worried bark from Poppy, and found herself down on all fours, gasping for breath, her heart beating like an alarm. It wasn't fair... why did this happen to her?

"It's okay, boy," she choked out. "I'm... all right."

She stood shakily back up, giving her dog a comforting pet and now afraid to look at her surroundings. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked around again, still feeling as if something was very wrong with her. The library appeared very extensive and contained an innumerable amount of books. Shelves that rose to the ceiling were placed all around the room, and there were smaller ones in the center, filled with books of all different shapes and sizes. Everything in this house awed her in some way, and the impressive library was no exception. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a gold globe on the other side of the room. It was spinning rapidly, apparently able to do so by itself, and as it spun Daniella saw dancing colors within it, mesmerizing her...

Like a moth to a flame, she was drawn to it. It had some sort of unknown hold on her... her eyes could not leave the beautiful object. As she walked toward it, she heard Poppy bark once, but had no time to react as the floor opened up beneath her and she began to fall...


	22. Visions of a Madman

**Visions of a Madman**

Leonardo put his hand on the glass, looking through it at the body inside. It was but a withered husk now, floating in the green sustaining fluid, just as Leana had been. But she was preserved, she was new, enhanced with Azoth... and the body in this tank was all but a skeleton. There was but one difference between them... He turned away from the tank, walking back to the desk. He was looking over the ancient scripts again, so desperately wanting to do this right. The Master himself had known how to do it, he had done it, and Fendari had been the outcome... However, Leonardo had learned from the Master's mistakes, and he would do it the right way.

He had read these scripts over hundreds of times, and knew them by heart. But still, he read them over again. This was the way to the Great Truth, the reason that his family continued on, the pinnacle of their science... and he, Aureolus Leonardo Belli, would be the one to complete what it took 500 years to start. It was probably going to be the most important thing to happen in the history of the world, at least it certainly was to in his mind, and so he read them still. He knew he was meant to use the heiress, Fiona, knew that the homunculus of Leana was supposed to be awakened after this was finished... but Fiona was gone, and this was a last resort. He would use her for the sacrifice instead, just as Leana was used before.

His mind wandered as he stared blankly at the page. Leana... no, _Daniella_, that was what she called herself... she smelled so good, wondered if the things he felt around her were similar to the things that Master Aureolus felt, so long ago. He felt her heat, felt her passion when he was near, saw her flush beneath her beautiful, shining violet hair. Every time he saw her perfect hourglass-like figure, it made it harder for him to wait. Before, when he'd been healing all of her wounds, he'd had the pleasure of undressing her and viewing her naked body, feeling it... She was his for the taking, and soon he would be one with her, spreading his perfect seed throughout her body. And all he'd had to do was make her breakfast. He chuckled aloud at this, as everything was now falling into place so easily... with one small stumbling block.

He had no doubt in his mind that she had been telling him the truth about Fendari. The man had been acting very strangely the past few days, he actually showed some emotion on occasion, and that was completely unlike him. It was apparent that he had been anticipating this as much as Leonardo had... but why, Leo hadn't been able to figure out. He had probably left that small room hours ago, and what the man was doing now was a mystery to him... but if he really was trying to steal his prize away from him, he would be forced to defend her. He would not let what happened to Lorenzo happen to him as well.

The thing that frustrated Leonardo the most was that if Fendari _was _actually chasing her, there was nothing he could do about it. Fendari knew this house like the back of his hand, he was silent, quick, and could hear Leo coming from a mile away. Teleportation would do him no good, by the time he got close enough to know where Fendari was, he would be gone. All of Fendari's senses were heightened a hundredfold compared to those of a normal man, and he still had that ancient sword with him. If he so much as touched Daniella with it... Leo's fist clenched just thinking about it. Such an important moment was not to be ruined by a crazy, vengeful slave with personal vendettas... but if he was not very careful about this, that's how things could end up.

What would Fendari possibly want with her? Was it that he had allowed himself to believe that this was actually his mistress from long ago? And even so, Leonardo had thought that Fendari would have hated her, as the relationship between a slave and a master was not a warm one in old England... but what if there was something he didn't know about? What if they had some sort of relationship going on behind the Master's back, and that was the real reason he had sacrificed her... A whole world of new possibilities opened up before him, but it was too unlikely to assume something like that. Surely Leana would never have sunk to that level...

His thoughts returning to Daniella, he remembered finding her in the foyer with the Lens of True Sight... To say he was surprised would have been a gross understatement. He was appalled. After nearly getting herself killed, she continued to snoop around, continued to put both herself and his plan in danger. And now that she was learning more, she was beginning to ask questions... when she had asked him about the miners, he was bewildered and angry at the same time. How had she gotten that information, let alone even _into _the mines? He knew that Fendari was supposed to have the only key for those doors, the doors to the mine that had been closed so long ago, with the downfall of alchemy... but after tonight, the science would be entering a new golden age, and the dreams of the great Aureolus Belli would finally be fulfilled.

And then, when she'd defied him, told him it wasn't good enough... he actually had to catch himself before slapping her across the face. Never in his life had anybody denied him, and it infuriated him completely... but he tried his best not to let it show. If this was going to work, he would have to be patient with her. Daniella found comfort in him, he was the only one here for her to come to when she needed help... and he played his role so well. She was so quick to trust. He turned back to the tank, radiating an eerie green light, and grinned. This is where it all ended... and where it all began.


	23. Sophia and Schamayim

**Sophia and Schamayim**

Daniella laid on her back, still not quite sure what had happened to her. She had managed to grab onto the edge of the pit that had just appeared beneath her, and eventually she managed to pull herself up, and had rolled over beside it. She heard something sliding back into place, but paid it no attention, and just stared at a spot on the ceiling, trying to catch her breath and figure out what happened. No doubt there was something deadly down there, something that would kill her if she made the wrong move... Suddenly, Poppy's head came into her vision and blocked out the ceiling, licking her face. She caught her breath, trying to push him away, and sat up. She looked over at the spot where she fell... but there was nothing there. It was just normal stone floor.

Daniella got up shakily, thanking Poppy and thoroughly confused. How did that happen? It didn't look like there was any trap mechanism there... but in this place, as she'd noticed, nothing was what it seemed. She looked back over toward the spinning globe, which stood as serenely as ever, colorful light welling up from within it. She wished she knew what it was, but was not willing to take another step toward it. She looked around, wondering what she had to do... then saw a part of the floor that _was _different. She had walked past it before, not even noticing it. She went over to examine it, calling Poppy. She didn't want him going near that globe, either...

There were four pictures painted on the floor. And each one was unique... each, painted with red, was a different symbol. The first had a picture of fire, the second of water, the third of a tree, and the fourth of wind. She examined them closely, trying to make sense of it. Shaking her head, she looked up, thinking that whatever this was, she'd had it with brain puzzles... and saw Poppy standing right in front of the globe, staring open-mouthed at her with what looked like pride. She did a double-take... how did he get up there without falling? It scared the crap out of her to see him there. What if he had fallen... She ran up as close as she dared to before calling to him.

"Poppy! Come here! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Understanding, the dog looked down, putting his nose to the floor, and began slowly walking an erratic path back to her. Daniella examined him closely. It looked like he was... _sniffing _a path for himself. Was there some way through this room that only he knew? He wound and curved along the smooth stone floor, following a trail only he sensed. Finally, when he was close enough, he lifted his head and bounded toward her, barking. She reached down absently and pet him, absolutely amazed at what he'd just done. Her dog had solved the puzzle. If she could follow him, then... Daniella walked back up to near where she fell before, and called Poppy. She hoped this would work...

"Poppy, go on! Go to the globe! Go, boy!"

He looked up at her for a moment, then barked, putting his nose back down to the floor. He began to walk back down the invisible path, but this time Daniella followed close behind him. She watched him closely as he sniffed along the ground, making a zig-zag like pattern across the floor. At one point he appeared to have lost the trail, stopping and sniffing around the area, but soon found it again and was on his way. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the back of the library, standing right in front of the spinning gold globe.

"Good boy, Poppy! That was remarkable!"

She knelt down and hugged him. It was as if this puzzle was _designed _for a dog... why that would be, Daniella had no clue, but he had saved her once again. Now that she was here, though... She stood up, watching the globe hypnotically spin. It looked like there was a slat in the center of the globe where the light was coming out... she kept seeing a pattern of the lights inside... blue, green, white, black, red, repeating over and over again... she heard Poppy bark and broke out of her trance once again... He was standing by the back wall, staring up excitedly. At first she wasn't quite sure what he was looking at, but suddenly the lights flashed onto the wall.

The globe was somehow projecting the light onto the wall in a certain order... it was the same order she'd seen looking into the globe. First came blue light, then green, white, black, and red... intrigued, she examined the globe more closely. She was close to figuring this out, she could sense it... Suddenly, she noticed, on the stand that held the globe up, a circular dial. Walking up to it, she saw that there were actually _two _dials, a larger one around a smaller one. On the outer dial, she saw strange words, they looked like more Latin... in order, the words read _Calcinatio, Solutio, Coagulatio, Sublimatio, _and _Coniunctio_. On the inner dial, spaced at the same intervals, were the numbers one through five.

Looking closer, she suspected that these words had something to do with the colors... there were five of them, as well. She had to arrange it somehow so the words matched up with the colors or something... but she had no idea what they meant. She stared at the colors flashing on the wall, Poppy dancing beneath them as if he wanted to catch them. They had to correspond somehow... Deciding to experiment, she turned the inner dial so that the "one" was on the top, which was right under _Sublimatio. _She looked back at the colors projected onto the wall... and sure enough, it was different.

They were in the same order, but different positions... first came white, followed by black, red, blue, and green. But nothing seemed to happen when she did that, and she hung her head, thinking... when it hit her. Those pictures painted on the floor must have something to do with it. It was fire, water, a tree, and wind... Which had to mean... Daniella turned back to the dial, thinking. It made perfect sense, the colors were in that order... red for fire, blue for water, and so on. She had no idea what the black was there for... but it didn't matter. And if white, which would presumably be wind, was on number one now, then...

Daniella turned the outer dial two times to the left, causing the number one, on the top of the inner dial, to line up with _Calcinatio. _Crossing her fingers, she watched as the colors flashed again... red, blue, green, white, and black. She heard the globe emit a strange noise, and suddenly the colors shut off, much to Poppy's dismay. The globe's spinning slowed, and finally it stopped, and Daniella could see a diagram on the globe. It was a picture of what appeared to be the Earth, which had the word _Sophia _in the center. Outside the Earth, there was another circle, littered with stars... a circle within a circle, just like the dial had been. And outside _that _circle, wrapped around it, was what looked like some sort of serpent eating its own tail. There was one word in the body of the serpent: _Schamayim._

Raising an eyebrow, Daniella highly doubted that would ever mean anything to her. Probably more of this alchemy stuff that she never understood. She approached the globe, the slat that the light had been coming from suddenly opening up, splitting the globe in two. The top was hinged at the back, and swung open to reveal a single rectangular gold plate inside the globe. Daniella didn't see anything inside of it that could have been making those lights, and only succeeded in getting herself more confused thinking about it. She reached in and grabbed the plate, examining it. When she turned it over, she saw one word engraved on the other side: _Veritas._

Not quite understanding it, but knowing it must be important, she slipped it into her pocket with everything else. It was very crowded, and she doubted she'd be able to fit anything else in there. Looking around the library one last time, she called Poppy to her side, ready to leave. She would have to follow him again down the strange invisible path in the room... after that, she had no idea where to go. She still couldn't unlock the big doors in the specimen room. There was still another hallway, but... she decided she'd have to take this one step at a time. Step by step, she was getting closer to something... what it was, what it meant to her, she did not know...

_But after all I've been through,_ she thought wearily, _It had damn well better be satisfying._


	24. Unholy Azoth

**Unholy Azoth**

Daniella emerged into the specimen room, folding her arms. It seemed... colder in here now, for whatever reason. She looked up at the huge dinosaur again, shaking her head. It still amazed her... not just the dinosaur, but the entire _house, _filled with things like this... it seemed so surreal. It was no more a place where one could live than it was a prison, riddled with dark secrets and deadly traps. Poppy went up ahead of her, once again apparently fascinated with the dinosaur now, and just sniffed at its leg cautiously. She walked up to it with him, watching him. He continued sniffing at it, though Daniella was unsure what could be so interesting about the way a model smelled.

"Hey, what are you doing? You don't have to worry about it, it's not going anywhere..."

Suddenly, she stood up, getting this strange feeling that, although she had not heard anything, she was not alone in the room, that she was being watched. Kind of like the feeling she'd gotten when she'd bathed herself, but she had just passed that off for paranoia...

"It's the real thing, you know," came an all-too-familiar deep voice. Daniella gasped and tensed, turning her head, looking around the room. He was here, somewhere, but she could not see him... It couldn't be! How did he get out of the mines? It wasn't fair. She just wanted to be left alone...

"Recreated through the wonders of alchemy... just as I was. Isn't it amazing? I wish you could have seen the mammoth in the castle, that was simply breathtaking..."

She looked around desperately, the voice echoing off the walls seeming to close in on her. Fendari was nowhere to be seen... but she knew he was close. Poppy began pacing in front of Daniella, a low growl rumbling threateningly in his throat. A pounding headache suddenly overtook her, and she knew that she could stand no more of this. She had to know _why, _or she would never be satisfied. Why everybody was after her, what was so important, so special. Nothing around her made sense, and if she wanted nothing else in the world, she wanted to know why.

"Why... why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" she asked in a voice drowned in sadness and confusion... and suddenly, he appeared. He walked slowly into the room from the hallway that led back to the other parts of the mansion. He looked the same as always, the vision of her terror embodied in his mere appearance. Every time she saw him, she felt as if her heart had stopped and turned to ice. And he still held his sword, not menacingly, but at his side.

"I've _told _you, milady," he said in a weary, yet still very disturbing tone. "All I want is for you to come with me. None of this is necessary. Can't you see I want to protect you? I'm not your enemy."

"Don't... You attacked me!" she yelled. "I don't want you anywhere near me! Why... why can't you just leave me alone, what are you going to do to me? What do you want?"

"Your Azoth is what _they_ want," he said, slowly walking toward her. Poppy's growl became louder, and Fendari stopped, his white mask just staring at her, staring...

"They want to use it to complete their plans, to defy nature... but Azoth should never be tampered with. It is the universal spirit of life in all things... and they are tapping into a power they can't control. Do you see me, Leana? Do you see what happened to me? _They _did this to me, this is the result of trying to bend it to your own will... but you, my dear... you can turn it all around," he said, once again approaching her, a psychotic edge entering his voice. "They"... who was he talking about? Poppy barked in warning as Daniella stumbled backwards, absolutely terrified, but he continued his advance.

"How long I've waited for this... Your life, your Azoth is precious... I'll never let them touch your perfect body... I love you, Leana. You love me too, you told me you did! Why are you pushing me away? Why won't you help me?"

He was nearly screaming his words now, the raving madness now audible in his enraged voice. He brought a hand up to his mask, clutching at it, and brought his rapier out in front of him. His entire body trembled, as if he were having a seizure, and Daniella heard his deep, rasping breaths. She backed against the wall, whimpering softly. This was what he was, underneath all of his mysterious personality... a complete lunatic. And it terrified her more than anything he had ever done before, the truth that was hidden behind the mask he wore was finally revealing itself...

"Please... I'm not who you think I am," Daniella said to him in a wavering voice, a voice laced with fear. She was nearly in tears, and felt as if she were about to faint... "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You are... you don't know, but I will show you who you are..." he said in a voice that no longer resembled that of Fendari, the servant... it was a wild, ravenous voice, one born of desperation, fury, and instability. He stumbled toward her, reaching out a shaking hand, and she plastered herself against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut and feeling hot tears run down her face. She heard Poppy growling furiously, and hoped to god he wouldn't get hurt... "You are my salvation! We were destined to be together! It was their fault! They... will... never... take you again! You are MINE!"

"You're insane," Daniella whispered, not daring to look at him. This was too much, she couldn't handle it... the familiar sensation of panic swept over her again as he screamed in absolute fury.

"I AM NOT INSANE!"

She felt the sword against her side and yelped in terror, but she heard him roar in fury and as she opened her eyes, she saw Poppy jumping onto his back, tearing at the man's neck. She just stood there, staring wide-eyed at the scene as her brain couldn't register anything else. She had given in to the panic, her vision was failing her, she couldn't move... suddenly, one thing surfaced through the chaos of her mind: _Run. _Mindlessly obeying, she dashed past Fendari, who was still struggling with Poppy, and moved for any open space that was in front of her. The only noise she heard was her own heart, the only thing she could see was the hall before her, completely colorless and closing in...

She stumbled in the hall, barely regaining her footing before falling flat on her face. She didn't know who she was running from, where she was, just obeying. _Run... Run... Run... _She ran down the hall, her breath burning in her chest, her legs feeling as if they were about to give out... and then they did. They just stopped responding, and this time she did fall flat on her face. She struggled to get up, but knew she could not... and so she tried to crawl. She clawed at the stone beneath her, desperate to keep going... but then her arms gave out, and she just stopped.

She laid there, breathing rhythmically and looking around her in confusion. All of her senses had left her... but slowly, they began to return. She began to see colors again, she remembered where she was and what she was running from, and she finally began to calm down. She looked back the way she had come, expecting to see Fendari's glowing form upon her... but the hall was empty. Poppy... he was still back there, defending her. She cried out, hating herself for leaving him... but she hadn't been in control of her own body, she'd had no choice...

The feeling in her legs returning, she managed to push herself up, the darkness intruding on her vision fading away. She had to go back... even if she had to face Fendari once more... the very thought of it began to make her head spin again, but she would never leave her friend again. She ran back toward the specimen room on trembling legs, knowing that she would never forgive herself if Poppy was dead... and as she entered the room, although Fendari was nowhere to be found, a sob shook her entire body.

Poppy was lying on the floor in the corner of the room, the white fur on his underside stained with red. She called his name in despair, running to him. This was all her fault, this should never have happened. She saw him lift his head, trying to look at her, and bark in pain... but that meant he was still alive. She got over to him, taking his body in her arms and examining the wound... His belly had been cut open, no doubt by that sword, and the wound appeared to be pretty deep. She cried into his fur as he whimpered in agony. It just wasn't fair...

"Poppy! Oh, god, please don't leave me... You're all I have, and this is all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

She pulled her face away from him, forcing herself to think. She knew that if he was going to have any chance of survival, he would need to get medical attention immediately... and there was only one place she could go. Daniella placed her arms underneath him, picking up the large dog with an adrenaline-induced strength. She held him in her arms, determined to carry him until her muscles couldn't support him anymore. She began walking as fast as she could back toward the hallway, heading for the operating room. She couldn't survive here without him. If he died, she would too...

"Just hang on, boy, it'll be all right," she said to him. "Please, just hang on."


	25. Betrayal of Trust

**Betrayal of Trust**

Fiona sat on the uncomfortable metal table in the operating room, stroking Hewie's fur. The dog, who looked just as bored as she felt, yawned. They were both still here, and for some reason... so was Riccardo. She had no idea why he hadn't gone out yet. He had been about to leave... but then this man that looked very, very strange had appeared at the door, a man in a white mask, with a sword in his hand. She hadn't heard what they were talking about, but whatever it was, it had caused Riccardo to stay. Maybe that was the owner of the mansion, who Riccardo had been going off to hunt.

But nevertheless, Riccardo was still here, and he had been busy making a strange potion with some of the things he'd found in the cupboard. Now, though, he seemed to be finished, and was just standing at the desk, busying himself with things such as examining bottles and instruments... it was obvious he was waiting for something. Fiona had not said anything since he started making the potion, but she decided finally that she needed to know what was going on.

"Riccardo... why aren't you going out like you said you would? And who was that person?"

It took Riccardo a moment to respond, and he kept his face turned away from her. "Well... I've got a few things to do. He just came to remind me about it. I'll get to it soon, my dear. Don't worry."

Fiona looked at him suspiciously, standing up and walking toward him. "Was that the owner of the mansion? What did he want?"

"What? No, no," Riccardo replied, turning around to face her. "He was just an... acquaintance. He wanted me to do a few things for him, that's all."

"He looked like a freak," Fiona said, standing right in front of him. It seemed like he wasn't telling her the whole truth, and if she was going to be a captive, she wasn't going to be a quiet one. She was tired of being in the dark. "If you're finished with that, then why aren't you going out to find the man so we can get out of here?"

"Patience, my dear, patience. It won't be long before..."

He turned his head toward the door, putting a finger to Fiona's lips. At first, she didn't hear anything... but after a few moments, she heard it. It sounded like a woman, breathing hard, grunting, having a hard time with something, and getting closer to the door...

Daniella.

Fiona gasped. It had been a long time since she'd seen the girl, and had been wondering if she was all right... but it sounded like something was wrong. Soon, there was a loud knock at the door, and Daniella's voice came to Fiona's ears, nearly breaking her heart. She sounded so scared...

"Riccardo? ...Fiona? Is anybody still here? Please, I need help!"

Fiona heard Riccardo draw in a deep breath, and as she saw the intolerant expression on his face, she knew that Riccardo did not want to see her. But it almost seemed like an act to Fiona, as if he'd been expecting her. What was going on here? He walked toward the door slowly, shaking his head.

"I told you never to-" he started in a seething voice, but was unable to finish.

"I know, and I'm sorry! It's my dog, he'll... he'll die if he doesn't get help! This is the last thing I'll ever ask of you, I promise! Please..."

"Damn it," whispered Riccardo, closing his eyes. He leaned wearily on the door for a moment... and as Fiona watched him, at that moment, he appeared old and worn out. His shoulders sagged, and deep lines formed in his face, accenting the scars that were already there. For that one short moment, she saw him not as the evil, perverted man who had stalked her and chased her down... he looked like just a normal, tired old man. The past few days had taken as much toll on him, it seemed, as they had on her. But she didn't feel bad, he brought her to this godawful place, it was all his doing. He was a terrible human being. So then... why did she feel this when she looked at him? This feeling in the pit of her stomach, not disgust or hatred... but more like pity, even _compassion_ for him... it didn't make sense. She didn't want to feel this way...

Finally, he stood up and contemptfully reached into his pocket for the key. He took the small key and stuck it in the hole, turning it with a _click _and opening the door. Daniella stumbled through, with her dog on her shoulder, held up by trembling arms. If Daniella's voice hadn't been heartrending enough, the sight before her was. Daniella, who looked as though she had just been through hell, was holding the body of her dog, Poppy, whose fur was stained deeply with blood. The dog was limp, and Fiona feared he was dead. Daniella's tear-streaked face turned to Riccardo, pleading with him.

"Take him... please..."

Riccardo, who had been staring at her with guarded concern, reached out and lifted the dog off of her, nearly dropping him to the floor. He grunted as he tried to lift the animal, looking incredulously at Daniella.

"You... you carried him all the way here?"

Daniella nodded, falling back against the wall and exhaling painfully, dropping her obviously weak arms to her sides. With difficulty, Riccardo managed to get Poppy to the table and set him down. The dog was big, and no doubt very heavy... and Daniella had carried him here by herself. Fiona walked over to her and patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her... and Daniella just threw her arms around her, sobbing. Fiona had no idea what had happened, or what she'd been through... but from the way things appeared, she was near her breaking point.

As she whispered into Daniella's ear, telling her that her dog would be all right, she turned her head and watched Riccardo. He was examining the wound, muttering to himself, and began gathering instruments. He was going to try and save the dog, and Fiona knew how much the man loathed dogs... yet he was doing this for Daniella. She hadn't been mistaken, he was concerned about her, for whatever reason... and Fiona found herself feeling for him. She knew she shouldn't, knew that this was just her body giving her the wrong signals, this man had made her life hell... but somewhere inside of his flawed body, past his possessive, dark, and cynical personality, there was a man who cared about her, somebody who wanted to help...

Fiona shook her head, letting go of Daniella. No, she couldn't allow herself to think like this. She couldn't allow herself to forgive him, because this grudge was all she had to hold on to. By this time, Hewie was circling the table, aware of the other dog, and trying to see over the top. Daniella wiped the tears away from her face, muttering a small, awkward "Thank you" to Fiona, and moved over to the table. Riccardo looked over his shoulder at her, sighing, then returned to his work.

"Since when was I the fucking doctor around here? I may not be able to do anything for him..."

"I know..." Daniella said meekly, "But this was the only place I could go. You're the only person I can trust, and-"

Riccardo whirled around, staring at the girl furiously. Something she'd said had made him angry...

"Why? Why, of all people, would you trust me? I don't want your trust, and I don't want you here! All you've ever done is cause problems for me, and I thought I'd made it clear that you're the _last _person I'd ever want to see again!"

Daniella had bowed her head as he said this, just standing there, shaking. Fiona was about to tell Riccardo that she wouldn't let him treat Daniella like that, but the girl spoke up, her voice strained with despair and fear.

"You saved my life..."

"And look how I'm repaid! You put all of our lives in danger every time you even come near here!"

"Stop it," said Fiona, "Just get back to her dog, I'll take care of her."

Riccardo just grunted, walking over to the small table near the door. He took the flask with the potion he'd made and shoved it toward Daniella.

"Here, take this," he said grudgingly. "It'll help you calm down and feel better."

Taking an apologetic look at the man's face, Daniella accepted the flask. It was full of a dark, cloudy, and very unappealing liquid. She took off the cap, taking one more look at her dog then starting toward Fiona, taking a drink. Apparently, it tasted about as good as it looked, and for a moment Fiona thought Daniella was going to spew it all over, but she managed to swallow it with a sickened expression. She drank the rest of it in one big gulp, apparently trying very hard to keep it down. She came up to Fiona, looking away.

"Don't listen to him, he's going to help you," Fiona told her, watching Riccardo prepare some kind of anesthetic.

"No, he has every right to be mad at me, I told him I wouldn't come back..."

"Well, you only came back because you had to," said Fiona, trying to make her feel better. "Just don't worry about it, Poppy's a strong dog, right? He'll pull through."

"Daniella," Riccardo called, exasperated. "You need to leave. I think I'll be able to heal him, but you can't stay here. Come back in about an hour."

"But... I can't leave him! That man, the one who did this, he's still out there, and he's looking for me!"

"Well, I can't have him finding you here," Riccardo responded, his patience wearing thin. "Besides, the mutt's still conscious, and when I begin the stitching he'll be making a lot of noise. I don't think you'll want to be around for that."

Daniella hesitated for a moment, then finally just sighed, nodding her head. Fiona remembered seeing that man at the door... now that she thought about it, the sword he had must have been what injured her dog, and if that was the case... she knew it probably wasn't safe for Daniella to go back out there, and also knew that Riccardo knew something about this he wasn't telling her. But she didn't say anything, because at least in part, Riccardo was right. Daniella walked back over to the table, reaching out and petting her dog, saying a few words, then she moved to the door. She turned hesitantly, trying to find the right words.

"I... I'm grateful for everything, and I'm sorry I'm such a burden."

"Please," said Riccardo, and from Fiona's point of view, he almost seemed... as if he felt guilty about something. "Just go."

Daniella turned sadly and opened the door, walking through and closing it behind her. Riccardo immediately walked over and locked it before returning to the animal. Fiona stared at Riccardo across the room, folding her arms.

"Do you have to be so mean to her? She's been through a lot, the least you could do is try to comfort her a little!"

"I owe her nothing," Riccardo said... and again, Fiona sensed guilt in his voice. Something strange was going on, something she didn't know about... but Fiona had the feeling that whatever it was, she would know soon.


	26. Intimidated

**Intimidated**

Daniella stood in the foyer, the entire room looking much more imposing and scary now. She hadn't realized just how much having Poppy with her had helped her. Now that he wasn't here, everything seemed as if it were going to swallow her, she felt so vulnerable and defenseless... She had considered just going up to the guest room and hiding under the bed for an hour until she could return to the operating room... but she knew that she had to face her fears on her own if she was going to get stronger. Her problems weren't going away on their own. She just felt so... helpless now.

Riccardo had said that he thought he'd be able to fix Poppy's wounds, and that he would be okay. Daniella still wasn't sure if he'd said that just to make her feel better or if it was the truth. Making her feel good was obviously not at the top of the man's list... He'd been even angrier than she'd expected. It seemed like the fact that she trusted him was the most infuriating thing to him, and she had no idea why. He'd helped her, saved her. But it was very, very clear that he didn't like her, and wanted as little to do with her as possible. She'd noticed that this time, he'd had his hood up, as if he was expecting to go somewhere... and she'd probably interfered with whatever he had planned.

She was so scared for Poppy. She didn't know what she'd do if he didn't live through this. He'd been protecting her, all the way to the end... No, she couldn't think like that. This was not the end. If Fendari found her, she wasn't going to run, not this time. She was going to fight him, come at him with all she had, because what he'd done was unforgivable. He'd nearly killed her best friend, and Daniella wasn't going to let him do it anymore. Either he would take her, and do to her what he pleased, or she would kill him. Either way, she just wanted all of this to stop. She doubted she could do anything to a man armed with a rapier and twice her size, and knew how it would turn out if the situation arose... but she was not going to run.

Running was her only impulse when she saw him, he terrified her down to every fiber of her being... and she wasn't quite sure she could do it. But she would damn well try. She felt more calm now, and took a deep breath. If all went well, she wouldn't even run into the man. She wondered if this was the effect of the strange medicine that Riccardo had given to her. He'd told her that it would calm her down and help her feel better. It tasted like crap, just as the Recreatio had, but hopefully it would help her to think rationally. She was still scared as hell without Poppy, but maybe it would help her get through the next hour.

Daniella looked up through the glass on the ceiling, the full moon now only half-visible. She stood there, looking up and thinking. There was still another hall for her to explore in that specimen room... She thought about the specimen. It was real, Fendari had told her. How such a thing was possible, she did not know, and she didn't want to believe him... but somehow, she knew he'd been telling the truth.

_Recreated through the wonders of alchemy... just as I was._

What was he getting at by saying that? Daniella still had no idea where he'd come from, or who he was... but it seemed that he believed her to be Leana Belli, the person whose image she was created in. He'd told her that she loved him, and that they were destined to be together... that she was supposed to "save" him... At that point, he'd become a raving lunatic, no longer the man he was when she first met him. If he really did think that she was Leana Belli, then... she and Fendari had been in love? That didn't make sense, she lived five centuries ago. There was no way a man could live for that long. Then again, she had thought that there was no way somebody could glow like that, or move like that...

And besides, Leana Belli had been married to Aureolus Belli, surely she would never have... Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes. It was an image from the dream she'd had earlier. Aureolus, beating her and raping her... Leana turning to her slave for guidance and love... Finding the horrible operation in the alchemy lab... She shook her head, trying to make it stop. Her mind was acting on its own will again, showing her things she didn't want to see... memories, but they were not her own. Fendari was her slave... but how was that possible? Was the man who had been chasing her a clone as well?

He kept saying that "they" wanted her Azoth, that he wasn't going to let them have her. Who was he talking about, and what was so important about her Azoth? She remembered Riccardo telling her that she had been created with it, but that it had been drained, and was insufficient. She remembered the emotion hitting her like a hammer when he told her that she was not going to live for another five years... it just wasn't fair. But she had the feeling that whether Fendari took her or not, she would live until then. She knew now that it was not his intention to kill her, that she somehow meant something to him, and he wanted to "protect" her... Whoever he was, he was obviously insane. He had gone berserk when she'd said that, and she had been afraid for a moment that he was going to kill her. She'd panicked, and ran... and now her dog may be dead.

The whole time she'd been thinking about this, she'd just been staring blankly up at the moon through the roof. Realizing that her neck was starting to hurt, she looked back down at the room, toward the two spiral stairways that went up to the second floor balcony. She was going to have to return to the specimen room and find out what was down that other hallway. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. Cold and lonely... it was so much different not having Poppy by her side, everything seemed so empty without him. Taking one last look back toward the hall that led to the operating room, she stopped, putting her hand over her heart.

"Pull through, boy... I know you can do it."

She turned around, ready as she would ever be to face whatever lie ahead for her on her own... when she felt her stomach lurch. It was a very unpleasant feeling, and she supposed it was just a little effect of what Riccardo had given her... but she had a bad feeling about it. A strange feeling at the back of her throat told her that whatever was happening, it was nothing good. Ignoring it, she walked toward the stairway. Riccardo would never have given her anything that would hurt her... would he?


	27. Ongoing Investigation

**Ongoing Investigation**

Sherriff Bernard Jackson sat in his chair, looking over the evidence they had again. It wasn't much. This was the third day of the investigation, and he was sitting inside his trailer, which was parked outside of Belli Castle along with most of the squad cars the Silverpool police department owned. This was the biggest thing to hit their town since anybody could remember, and it really made for a good news story. It provided some fodder for those crazy superstitious types... cloning, a missing officer, the mysterious disappearance of both the girl who'd called this in and the man who was the caretaker of the castle... But the truth was even more appalling.

The sherriff had known about these cloning operations, he had known about them for a long time... and it was his decision not to let the SS get involved. Of course they believed that the girl was crazy, and that there was really no such thing as cloning, the deaths at the castle had all been one big accident... and so it was no big deal, something the PD could deal with themselves... but now, with the loss of an agent and the disappearance of a woman directly related to the case, they were going to put the pieces together sooner or later that this was more than just an accident.

They'd managed to get rid of every clone except one. Agent Weston had been assigned to find and eliminate her. Whether he had or not was unknown, but they had cleaned everything else up, there was no evidence that cloning ever actually occurred in the castle. Even if MI5 did get involved in this, they wouldn't be able to prove anything. As long as that last clone got taken care of... Jackson had no idea whether the person would be able to prove they were a clone or not, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. All of the officers who had accompanied Weston to the castle had given their report, what they'd seen, and when they'd last seen Weston himself... except Stephen Rivers.

The man was nowhere to be found, he wasn't at his house, he hadn't responded to any phone calls... it was as if he'd dropped out of existence, just as Weston had. They might be in the same place. Maybe Fiona, the girl who'd called in the first place, would be there too. The whole thing smelled like some sort of conspiracy. They'd all gone missing at the same time, and nobody knew if they were alive or dead. Standing up, Jackson decided to take a walk outside the trailer, see if they'd found anything else, which was doubtful. This investigation was going nowhere fast.

He walked outside, looking up at the huge, dark castle. It was very, very late, and he was tired, but it was his obligation to be here. They'd found some monster of a person dead on the lawn, apparently shot, though he did look extremely malnourished. The thing was, he appeared to have been shot with a flintlock pistol, and those things hadn't been around for 200 years. It didn't make much sense. Then, in the estate in the back of the castle, they'd found the body of a person who appeared to be the castle's maid, impaled by a large glass shard from the glass roof overhead. How the roof shattered was a mystery, but the death was so strange that they'd had to call it a suicide and leave it at that.

As for Riccardo, the man who watched over the castle and the only resident who ever made contact with the outside world, he was nowhere to be found. They had found a tunnel that ran under the huge lake in the forest outside the castle that led to an old tower in the middle and an ancient house, but they had found nothing there. Apparently the house was full of strange things, but nothing related to the case was found inside. That was all they had at the moment, and it didn't give them any clue as to where the missing people may have gone.

Sherriff Jackson remembered when he'd found out about the clones... it had been some time ago, when a few of the officers were investigating the castle in a disappearance case. A woman had gone missing from Silverpool, and they had somehow traced her to Belli Castle. They never did find the girl, but they found the first evidence of cloning then. Riccardo had approached the sherriff shortly after, and convinced him, with a large sum of money, that nobody needed to know about this. And as far as Jackson was concerned, he was right. If MI5 caught wind of this, they would turn it into a worldwide story... Silverpool would become thronged with people, the town would forever become infamous for the dark things that went on... but that wasn't even the worst part.

The government, or perhaps the military... _someone_ would no doubt want to learn how to do it, and once the answer was revealed, it would change the world forever. Jackson didn't consider himself old-fashioned, but cloning was nothing to be messing around with. The impact such a discovery would have on the world would be huge, and if that knowledge got into the wrong hands, the effects could be catastrophic. So he decided to terminate all evidence that the clones ever existed, and in so doing, in his mind, he was doing the world a favor. If MI5 ever found out, though... he would lose his job, maybe even do jail time. They would probably begin doing their own investigations soon. They _had _to find Weston, or they ran the risk of being found out.

He walked over to the police line near the front gate and decided to talk to Officer Gado, who was standing outside. Gado had been one of the people with Weston when they first investigated the castle.

"Anything new?" asked Jackson, walking up to him.

"No sir, not yet," Gado responded, stretching. "Hey... is there somewhere we can talk that's a little more private?"

"Sure," said Jackson uncertainly. He didn't like the sound of it. "Let's go over to the trailer."

They walked into the trailer that served as the sheriff's mobile office, and closed the door.

"Sheriff Jackson..." said Gado, "I don't know about all this. Meier and Rivers are the only other people who know about... you know, what we found... but don't you think one of 'em's bound to tell somebody sooner or later? If word ever gets out that we lied, we'll all be in deep shit. I think the best course of action would be just to tell the appropriate officials and let them take over here, because I've just got a bad feeling about this."

"It's nothing to worry about, Andy," said Jackson, eying the man suspiciously. "Nobody will believe that anyone was actually cloning as long as we can keep quiet. Is there a problem?"

"No, sir, I guess not. Never mind... you're right. Let's just be careful about this. I don't want to get into any trouble."

He walked out of the trailer, and Jackson just watched him go. He sounded pretty nervous, and Jackson didn't know if the man would be able to keep his mouth shut. If he tipped anybody off, they would be ruined, and Silverpool would become the next Area 51 overnight...

Jackson shook his head, realizing that this was going to be a much harder job than he expected.


	28. Checkmate

**Checkmate**

Daniella stared up once again at the huge dinosaur. It was real... The concept just blew her mind. Here, in front of her, was a beast that lived millions of years ago, something no person had ever seen before... except the Bellis. It stood completely still, graceful yet terrifying at the same time. Its skin was black, but its underbelly... white. She looked away, painfully reminded of Poppy. He was going to be all right, Riccardo had said so... But she wished she could stay with him. She tried to clear her mind, heading for the hallway on the right side of the room from where she came in.

Suddenly, her stomach began rumbling again. Daniella groaned, putting a hand over it... something wasn't right. It was beginning to hurt her, and it felt like really bad indigestion... but the only thing she'd eaten had been the eggs that were given to her by Leonardo. She shook her head, trying to put it out of her mind, but there was this nagging doubt eating away at her that Riccardo had given her something bad, something that would hurt her... but why? He would have no reason to do that, would he? She kept walking down the small hallway, telling herself that everything was going to be fine... but not believing it.

She made her way to the door at the end and turned the handle, pushing it open, almost afraid to see what was inside. She looked through... and saw another corridor, this one with a door in the side halfway down, and two stately oak double doors at the end. She walked down the hall, knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere by standing there, but not wanting to see what may be behind the doors... She walked up to the door on the side, taking a deep breath and opening it. She looked into the room... and saw that it was pitch black.

Shakily, she stepped into the room, her stomach making more threatening noises, and felt the walls near her for a light switch. She couldn't find one near the door, and felt along the walls blindly for any sort of light. She finally found a switch, and turned it on gratefully. Before she had time to turn around, though, her stomach suddenly lurched again, and this time she doubled over. She cried out in pain... something inside her wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen. Daniella almost fell to the floor, but managed to stay upright, the pain receding, but the feeling still there. She stood up, deciding she needed to go to a bathroom or something... and looked around the room, gasping in horror.

The room was full of paintings... but they were all of _her. _She saw, as she looked around in absolute bewilderment, paintings of her without any clothes, doing very, very dirty things... paintings of her with no eyes, paintings of her bleeding... she knew it was her, the violet hair was present in every single one. She took a step back, each one she looked at more hideous than the last. Who would do this... it was psychotic... she had to get out. _Now. _She turned around, walking toward the doorway... but then she realized it was blocked. She stumbled backward, the cold knife of fear stabbing into her once again as she looked upon him.

"Do you like my work? I did it all for you."

Fendari moved into the room, coming toward her. He had her cornered, there was no escape. She backed into the wall, forgetting completely that she told herself she wasn't going to run. Her mind shut down when he approached her, whenever she saw him... He grabbed her arm forcefully, causing her to wince in pain. His hideously smiling mask stared down at her.

"I hoped you'd have appreciated it a bit more. Now then... would you care for a dance, milady?"

"...What?" Daniella responded hesitantly, not understanding. What was he going to do to her?

"I would like to dance with you. Come with me, I'll bring you there."

He pulled her arm, bringing her with him. No, she didn't want to go with him... She spotted the rapier in his other hand. If she tried to escape, he may hurt her. She began to feel lightheaded, the pain in her stomach fading away. Why did this have to happen to her now? God knew where she was being taken, and this may be her only chance to escape... He dragged her down the hallway, down to the double doors at the end, and opened them wide, guiding her through. She looked around, and saw that she was in a huge, magnificent ballroom.

Ornate golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the small glass decorations that hung from them breaking down the light and causing small, spinning rainbows to dance on the floor. As she looked down at the checkered floor, she gasped as she saw people. Hundreds of people dancing... maybe one of them could help her... but then she saw that none of them moved. She looked at the two closest to her, and saw... that they were made of _wax. _None of these people were real, they were all just wax figures. Her heart sunk in despair. She wouldn't be able to escape this time. She began to feel dizzy and disoriented. She'd felt this before...

Suddenly, she found herself being pulled toward Fendari. He took her in his arms, one around her back, and one grasping her own hand, held out to the side. She tried to struggle, but she felt so weak and tired... she knew that she wasn't going to break away. Fendari pulled her body toward him, until they were pressing against each other. She felt her heart beating quickly, felt his body on hers... she couldn't get away...

"Let us begin."

Suddenly, music came from out of nowhere, echoing around the entire room, and she was whisked off as they began to dance. The song was fast, and she was just trying to keep her balance, which was hard enough without dancing... but Fendari knew every step, and brought them spinning around the room, making her feel dangerously queasy. Why was he doing this to her? Was he just trying to torture her? The room became a blur, the loud music in time with their movements. Daniella leaned forward, putting her head on his chest, because if she didn't she felt like she would faint.

"_Ungarische Tanze Number Five," _he whispered into her ear, moving more slowly as the music changed to a slow, quiet tempo, "I always did love Brahms."

She felt as if she was in a dream, dancing with such a strange-looking man in an exotic ballroom, and everything around her seemed liquid, dreamlike... suddenly, the music picked up again, and she noticed her shoulder beginning to hurt. She cried out, unable to move her hand that was firmly in Fendari's grasp. It was that mark. It hurt...

"Ah, look. The godstone is reacting again."

As the room spun and twirled around her, Daniella saw a soft red light wash over her, and looked up at his face. Those earrings he wore... those red earrings that looked like like glass... they were glowing, and her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She didn't understand any of this, didn't understand anything... she felt everything beginning to fade out as she was twirled and spun, and all she could hear was the music... This wasn't natural. Riccardo. The liquid he gave her. That's what was doing this. As she began to fall into unconsciousness, the last thing she thought was _Everyone I trusted deceived me..._


	29. The Hunt Begins

**The Hunt Begins**

There. It was done.

Riccardo made the last stitch and tied it off. The dog had taken the whole ordeal very well, only whimpering a little, and only a few times. Riccardo had to give the mutt credit for that, at least. He turned back around, putting all the instruments back in the tray and turning to Fiona.

"It will take a while, but he'll be fine. None of his vital organs were damaged as far as I can tell."

"Great. Hopefully Daniella will be coming back soon..."

Riccardo highly doubted that. He'd been hoping that she wouldn't even come here in the first place. He didn't want to give that Nigred to her, because now he was responsible for anything that happened to her. The fact that he cared still made him angry. He'd mercilessly chased a girl down in a castle, raped her, and took her captive. So why the fuck should he even be thinking about this? The homunculus could go jump off a cliff for all he cared... but although he told himself this, he still knew, somehow, that it wasn't the truth.

Daniella, the maid, had given the family service ever since she was created. Sure, she may have been the old man's lap dog, but nevertheless she always did her job. And on the rare occasion that she didn't, Riccardo got to have the pleasure of beating her until she complied. Just like the old man did... He didn't want to admit that any of Lorenzo had rubbed off on him, but it wasn't true. The reason he was so fucked up mentally now was all because of him. Daniella never felt, she never argued, she never even showed a hint of emotion. She was like an automaton, a robot.

But _this _Daniella... this is how she was supposed to be. This was the true Daniella, laden with overflowing Azoth... but with nobody to help her. She was wandering around, trusting anybody who smiled at her. She didn't know who she was, she didn't have a father or a mother, only the dog laying on the table. She reminded Riccardo of himself at a young age. And look how he'd turned out. And now, she trusted him, the last person she should be associating with. Her life was about to become just as fucked up as his was... all because of him.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had lied to her. He knew about who she was, he knew about the Azoth extraction. Guilt was a feeling that Riccardo was not accustomed to, and he didn't know quite how to deal with it. It was her own fault for coming here, for falling into their trap. It was not his obligation to help her. But each time he tried to put her out of his mind, she kept coming back. Whatever happened, whatever he did to her, it would be Riccardo's fault.

He had no idea what Fendari was going to do to her, but the man seemed more unstable every time Riccardo saw him. He had always been weird. Riccardo remembered when he used to work for Lorenzo, long before Leonardo was even in existence. He would always do what he was asked, but he never, ever removed that mask. Riccardo had always wondered what he was hiding, whether it could be worse than what he himself was hiding under his hood. Fendari never aged, he looked the same when Riccardo was a child as he did now. Lorenzo had told him once that Fendari was actually a servant of the original Aureolus Belli, and that he had been transfused with artificial Azoth so he could live forever. Riccardo always assumed the old man had only said it to scare him, keep him from bothering the man... but he found himself wondering, now, if that was actually the truth.

Riccardo secured his gun in place, made sure everything was ready, then prepared to leave again. Nothing would stop him this time.

"I'm going to go now, Fiona. Don't forget what I told you."

"Why won't you let me come with you?" Fiona asked. "I can help..."

"I already told you," Riccardo replied, his already thin patience wearing thinner. "Besides, you need to keep an eye on her dog, make sure he doesn't fall off or anything."

Fiona said nothing, just sulked in the corner. Soon, his beautiful Fiona would not have to be confined in this place. They would have the whole house to themselves... of course, he would have to take precautions to ensure she didn't leave, but he could worry about that later. He just had to do this right. He made sure he was completely prepared, then unlocked the door, walked out, and locked it again. He forced himself to forget about Daniella. That was no longer in his hands. All he needed to worry about now was Leo. Staying to the shadows, Riccardo slowly exited the room and walked out into the hallway. Yet as hard as he tried, he couldn't banish the feeling of guilt deep within him...


	30. Inferno

**Inferno**

The first thing she heard was a chain. Her eyelids seemed too heavy to open, and so she listened to the sounds around her. There were footsteps on a stone floor, someone else was here. She felt her arms suspended above her, draining of blood, and realized the chain she'd heard was attached to her own arms, they were chained in place... she had her back against something hard, felt her bare skin rubbing against it... she was naked. Her feet, she found, were chained as well, and she could hardly move. She heard the footsteps getting closer, and finally managed to open her eyes.

With a surge of recognition and fear, Daniella realized that she was once again in the torture chamber. But this time, she could not move, she could only watch. She looked down with mind-numbing terror at her own unclothed form, then back up... at Fendari. The man was walking toward her, the ever-present mask glaring at her, grinning sickly. Her breathing growing more rapid, she looked at what she was attached to. She realized it was one of the instruments they'd used to torture people in ancient days, a long rack with three rollers, with two shackles on a bar at one end for the hands and two at the other end for the feet. There was a crank on the side, and each time the crank was turned, the bars would spread further and further apart, stretching the person's muscles and bones until they literally ripped in two. But she realized with a dawning, sickening terror that was not going to torture her with this. He was just using it to keep her in place.

She shook her head, feeling tears come to her eyes. This was it. He had her now, and he was going to rape her. She looked at his softly glowing form again, trying to think of something, _anything _to make him stop.

"Please... Don't do this to me! Please, just let me go..."

She broke down, hanging her head in shame and starting to cry. She heard him approach her, but did not look up. Only when she felt his hand on her chin did she look up to face his white mask again. He stood there for a long time, watching her face, taking it in, hearing her cries of mercy and probably enjoying them... Then he spoke.

"My sweet, sweet Leana. If you'd only done what I asked of you, things would not have to be this way."

She looked away from him again. Her throat was stopped up, and all she could do was shake her head in disbelief. In the end, all of the running, the hiding... it was all meaningless. He had her, and it was all over.

"You do not yet know of the ways I am helping you. And the ways you will help me. It will take a while, and you will need some convincing, but this is how it was always meant to be. I am keeping you safe, and your Azoth will cure this curse upon my body."

Daniella just kept her head low, feeling the tears from her face fall onto her body, knowing full well what was going to happen next. None of what he was saying mattered to her. She knew that now, her life was over. Riccardo had just handed her over to him, and he was never going to let her escape this time.

"Shut up." Surprised, she looked up at him again as he said this, her wide, tearful eyes staring into the mask. "Just shut up, you little whore. Your pain will be nothing compared to the pain I've had to endure. The pain caused by _you. _You Bellis, fucking with the lives of innocent people. All I ever did was serve you! And look, look what you've done to repay me! LOOK AT ME, LEANA!"

She heard his mask hit the floor, heard it shatter. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, whimpering and looking away. She didn't want to see him... His strong hand grabbed her chin and forced her to face in his direction. She cried out in pain, not daring to look.

"Open your eyes."

She did as she was commanded, not wanting him to hurt her anymore... and looked upon his face. His face was cracked, like Riccardo's had been, but Daniella saw that same faint blue light welling up out of each scar that marred his face. They covered his entire face, spreading out from his mouth. His teeth, although perfectly proportioned, were jet black, stained by the corrupt Azoth. But one thing stood out the most, one thing that sickened and mortified her... the man had no eyes. There were dark, empty sockets where they should have been_. _Daniella shook her head again, feeling as if she were in a dream. How did he see? What had happened to him?

"Do you see your "Great Truth" now? Is this what you wanted? Five hundred years I've waited for you... And you are the only one who can cure me. You are the only one that can help me find peace. And if you will not come willingly..." he said, putting a gloved hand on her face, "Then I will have to force you. It will be just like we used to."

Daniella looked at him fearfully, saw that he was looking down at her body, anticipating... He began to move toward her.

"No, stop! Wait!"

She cried out as she felt his gloved hands on her body, sliding around her waist and up her sides, then over her breasts, massaging them. She tried to turn away, lash out, anything... but it was no use. She was terrified and disgusted... but with embarrassment and disbelief, she felt her body responding oppositely. A terrible grin spread across Fendari's unnatural features.

"It feels good, doesn't it, milady?"

Daniella didn't respond, just kept sobbing. She felt violated, terrified, and vile... but it was only the beginning. She knew what he was waiting for. She heard him exhale in pleasure as he slowly ran his hands back down her body, over her stomach and her hips, and getting closer... Her legs, held by the chains, were spread wide open. She kept her eyes squeezed tight, burning from her salty tears, trying so hard to tell herself that if she stayed strong and didn't give him what he wanted that it would be over soon. She felt his fingertips leave her thigh. Her teeth ground together. _For the love of god, stay strong._

Fendari's gloved fingers slid into her, and they dug and probed with an eager forcefulness. Daniella resisted the building pain and discomfort, biting her bottom lip. Resistance gave way to a fierce resentment, a burning desire to disappoint him. It was stronger than her fear, and it bolstered her will. At the moment when Daniella felt she'd mastered herself, his fingers brushed against something, and it was as if a floodgate opened. With a suddenness she was unprepared for, a wild current coursed through her body, seizing her completely, and she cried out and betrayed herself. It was the most intense sensation she'd ever experienced. She heard a sigh escape Fendari and he pressed harder, forcing another begrudging moan from her, sending her into a paroxysm. She couldn't stop herself, couldn't even think, a slave to the all-consuming sensation. She felt Fendari's breath on her neck as he leaned in close to her ear.

"It's been so long since I've heard you sing like this." He moved his fingers, grin widening as she tried to suppress her voice. "You love it, don't you? Even though you hate me _so _much..."

She let out a seething breath in response, ashamed and powerless. She heard a sinister laugh.

"I'll just have to try to hate you even more."

His hand suddenly dug violently into her. Daniella screamed as she felt something break, releasing a flow of warm blood. Pain racked her brain. She fought, steeling herself against it as Fendari continued to invade her. _Stay... strong... _Her eyes opened, fixing his terrifying face with a defiant stare. He must have seen through her facade to the fear and pain underneath, for he just laughed again, the skeletal face contorting into an awful smile. He extracted his fingers, lifting his white gloved hand into her view. It was covered in blood... and something else. Fendari lifted it to his mouth and slowly ran his tongue along it, shuddering in perverse satisfaction. Daniella looked away, disgusted and humiliated. Her nerve was breaking down. She should never have opened her eyes. Strong hands seized her face, forcing her to look at him and moving her head forward. His ravaged face was just inches from hers. Cracked lips parted in a whisper.

"Tell me you love me, Leana."

She shook her head again, not wanting to look into those black holes, not knowing how to feel... the powerful sensations struggled for dominance in her brain. She wanted him to stop, wanted to get far, far away... but somebody deep inside of her, a person she'd felt there before, told her that this was what she wanted, and she felt that person taking control of her body. She saw Fendari reach over and grab the rapier on the floor, taking it and putting the point on her chest.

"Tell me you love me... tell me. Like you used to."

Daniella drew in a fluttering breath, summoning what remained of her courage.

"Fuck you," she spat.

He only laughed at her again, the way someone might laugh watching a captured animal struggle. She felt his lips press against hers, and she turned her head away, trying to make him stop. He grabbed her chin again, forcing her head in his direction, and shoved his tongue inside her mouth. She tasted what had been on his glove, and nearly gagged in revulsion. She tried to thrash her head, to break out, but he held her firmly. The way his face smelled made her think of that room, the one with the skeletons. He finished the kiss, slowly bringing his hideous face away... then pushed the rapier into her skin. Daniella screamed.

"STOP!"

"You will know my pain." His voice had changed. It was now menacing, laced with hysteria. "Tell me you love me!"

Daniella felt it digging deeper, piercing muscle... she felt her blood begin to seep out onto her skin. It was almost unbearable, and she began to feel as if she was going to faint. If he didn't stop, he was going to kill her.

"I... I love you..."

"Say it louder!"

"NO! I LOVE YOU! I... I love you!"

The last was said in a broken, sobbing voice. She felt him finally pull the sword out, the wound in her chest open and bleeding. She hung her head, weeping uncontrollably. She was never going to get away from him... the excruciating pain made her dizzy, disoriented. Suddenly... she saw light. She looked up, and toward the door on the opposite side of the room. Somebody was standing in the doorway... it was Riccardo.

"RICCARDO!" Daniella yelled, shrieking desperately. "PLEASE... HELP ME!"

Fendari whirled around, his sword in his hand. He stood up and held it out, bellowing furiously.

"You've done what I asked of you! You have no reason to be here! Leave us!"

Riccardo's eyes narrowed as he took the scene in.

"I'm sorry, Fendari... I just heard a noise, and wondered what was going on..."

"Get out!" yelled Fendari threateningly.

Riccardo swallowed, nodding once and turning around. He was going to leave her here...

"PLEASE! Oh, god, don't go! Don't... leave... me!"

Her voice dwindled to a whisper. Riccardo was gone. He was just going to let Fendari do this to her... Why?

Fendari turned back around, his deformed face actually _grinning _at her. He was sick, twisted...

"You stupid bitch... he's not going to save you. He made it possible for all of this to happen in the first place."

Daniella knew it was the truth... but she didn't want to believe it. After all he'd done for her, he was just leaving her to the wolves... Fendari moved his lips to her neck, kissing her pale skin. A moan came unbidden to her lips. Her defenses had fallen, and she could not summon the strength to defy him any longer. She didn't even know herself anymore. She didn't want this... she never had, and yet it felt so familiar, like a part of her was reawakening. Desires she had never experienced were suddenly surfacing, confusing her, making her as scared of herself as she was of him. Fendari finally stepped back, his warped face admiring her as his hand brushed her cheek, wiping her tears. Daniella lay against the rack, eyes closed, panting, sweating, and crying. Neither said anything, and a deep silence fell upon them, broken only by Daniella's occasional sobs... and suddenly, her mouth moved of its own accord, uttering a word in a voice that was not her own.

A pause.

"What did you say?" asked Fendari, his sick grin growing wider.

Daniella made a small, terrified noise. She didn't say anything. It wasn't her talking... it was Leana Belli. She couldn't stop it.

"More," she whispered, the voice dripping with longing and unknown pleasure. "I want more..."

He was silent for a moment, then he began to laugh again. The laugh was dark and terrifying. Daniella trembled, appalled at herself. This wasn't what she wanted... was it?

She saw him crouch down, where his hands had been before, and despair and shame filled her heart. She knew this was going to scar her forever, wished she could just faint until it was over. _No, _a voice said. _You've wanted this for a long time. Embrace your desires. This is where you belong. _Daniella shook her head, feeling more tears beneath her eyelids. What was wrong with her? Who _was_ she? She heard Fendari exhale in anticipation and clenched her teeth together... Suddenly, she heard the door burst open again and light spilled through. She saw Riccardo there, like before, but this time he had a gun. Before Fendari even had time to turn around, Riccardo aimed the flintlock and fired.

The deafening sound echoed through the small room, and it took Daniella a moment to realize what had actually happened. Fendari stumbled forward onto her, and she screamed... the empty sockets were staring at her, his inhuman, ghastly face was so close to hers... then he fell sideways onto the floor. Daniella looked down at the hole the bullet had made in the man's back. He was dead.

She felt her entire body go numb, and her eyes filled once again with tears. He would never come after her anymore... he was now just another body to add to the pile of those who lost their lives in this wretched place. She saw Riccardo coming toward her, and she totally lost control. He came back for her... he saved her life again... She was wrong. He cared about her after all. She felt tears traveling down her face in streams, anything she tried to say to him came out unintelligible. She didn't want him to see her like this, so vulnerable and violated... all she could do was cry. He snapped open the manacles around both her hands, then her feet.

She fell to the floor, trying to stand, but she pitched forward and Riccardo barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. He picked her up and held her naked, trembling, and bleeding body in his arms, and she buried her face into his thick shirt. Riccardo just ran his hand through her hair, whispering to her.

"It's all right, Daniella... I have you. You're safe now."


	31. Revenant

_Returning readers- Please read the Author's Note in chapter 1._

**Revenant**

The first gasping breath of air was like thousands of knives. He instinctively clutched at his throat, not fully aware of his surroundings, of himself. Gloved hands reached out and nails scraped against the stone floor. He felt a viscous substance beneath his fingertips, blood and grime and sediment. The blood, he knew, was not his own.

A terrible, familiar sensation was now spreading from his chest, from his very heart. Fire coursed through his arteries and poison through his veins. The pain was overwhelming, and systematically it spread to his every extremity. He thrashed and spasmed on the floor, the sound of his screams reverberating off the impassive black walls. The shadows laughed as the echo reached his ears, dancing maliciously about the torchlit room as they witnessed the appalling transformation taking place. His breath rattled, then caught, and black bile spewed forth from his mouth.

Delirious with pain, unable to stand, he shook and heaved his guts up on the ground. He tasted death in his mouth, and the smell of decay nearly gagged him. He knelt there for several seconds, drawing in ragged breaths of the stale air, feeling the corruption manifest inside him. His head turned slowly upward, and he saw his reflection in weapons of polished steel on the wall. He saw a monster staring back at him, and he recognized the face, reclaimed his identity. Kosoko Fendari. In Yoruba, his native tongue, the name roughly translated to 'no hoe with which to dig a grave'. Had his mouth not been full of the former contents of his stomach, he would have laughed aloud at the irony. His master had a nickname for him- Fefello Pudendus Cubiculari; Failure, Disgrace, Slave. Slave to the house of Belli.

No longer.

With each breath he was becoming more aware of the object lodged in his diaphragm, and his every movement was fraught with the stabbing pain of his broken vertebrae. He had been shot, and fatally wounded. He had stood on the precipice of death and faced the empty void below. It was so inviting to him, but just as he felt eternity's cold embrace he was violently dragged back into being by this hellish mockery of a life. The Azoth that was bound to him had long ago robbed him of his humanity, and left him a raving husk of a man. It had replaced his broken bones and torn muscles with its rot, and it grew and festered.

Though it was agony, Fendari finally stood. He saw his sword lying on the ground in front of him, heard the remains of his mask cracking under his boot, and his last memories came flooding back to him in the form of soft skin, anguished cries, and the scent of roses. Leana had been his once more. Her pure, cleansing life force had been a shaft of light in the bottomless pit of his soul. He had tasted it in her saliva and her blood, smelled it in her menses. She was overflowing with the perfect Azoth of generations, and indulging in her had absolved his body and paralyzed his mind. She was flawless. She made him complete.

And the plan had worked too well. She fell victim to the Nigred faster than he had anticipated, falling limp in his arms as they drifted across the ballroom. He gathered up her frail frame carefully, and brought her here, to the medieval torture room. He brought her here because he knew she feared this place, he'd seen what happened to her here. And he wanted her fear. He remembered gently stripping off her clothes and securing her to the rack. She looked like an angel to him, her pale, spread-eagle body a vision of beauty.

And when she awakened, he saw the numbing fear in her eyes, heard it in her tear-choked voice, and he could barely contain himself. There was something so appealing about the realization of her futility. The more she resisted, the more exquisite it was for him. And though she had resisted, Fendari had seen her true desires emerging. She had given herself up to him, and finally touched the side of Leana Belli buried deep within her, the side he had known long ago... The moment returned to him, that beautiful moment when she knew him to be her lover and master.

_More..._

It had been better than he ever remembered. He looked upon the rack where her body lay, now empty, the chains limp and still. It could almost have been a euphoric dream, were it not for the searing reminder of Riccardo's betrayal deep in his chest. Fendari moved his gloved hand around to the gaping hole in his back. His body had begun its healing process. The wound had already started sealing over, and he felt the fibrous, artificial skin and muscle material stretching across it. He had been close, so close to becoming one with her again, completing the circle and letting her essence flow through him. But the experience had been stolen from him when Riccardo had shot him.

Fendari had misjudged him. He'd thought Riccardo had enough sense to realize that Leana was off-limits to him, and that he and Fiona's well-being was directly affected by his compliance with Fendari's wishes. He had not thought Riccardo the type of man to sympathize with, much less defend, a worthless homunculus. The iron ball in Fendari's chest was Riccardo's death warrant, sealed and signed. He'd planned to kill the man anyway, but now he would make sure his death was slow and painful... and soon. He felt nothing but inconsolable rage at losing Leana again, and he planned to make sure that Riccardo became intimately familiar with this feeling of loss before he died. He would only be satisfied when the man was, like himself, completely broken, without reason or desire to live. Maybe he would slaughter his precious Fiona in front of him first.

Another scream echoed in the chamber, a scream not of pain, but of rage, a guttural howl of fury and madness. Though he was alive, it was now only a technicality. He was utterly and unconditionally dead inside, and felt the reaper once again at his shoulder, felt its breath as its taint spread through his body. His fingers clawed at the emptiness where his eyes once were, long since burned away by his cursed blood. He felt only the skull beneath. His face was the echo of his soul: ravaged, grotesque, and inhuman. His mask, and with it his last pretense of stability or sanity, was now gone. He did not know peace, only this eternal cycle of decadence. And his one chance to finally be free of this was slipping from his grasp.

Gritting his teeth against the constant pain, Fendari turned toward the staircase that was the room's only exit. He did not know how much time had passed, but he was sure she was still here. She had to be. Still, doubt crept in. Perhaps it was too late... perhaps Leonardo had enacted his plan, taken her and stolen her precious Azoth to further his own ends. If that was true, it would mean experiencing this hellish existence for eternity. The thought of it was the only thing that Fendari feared anymore. He did not allow himself to accept that as a possibility. He would find her, and this time she would not escape. If anybody, Leonardo, Riccardo, anybody, crossed his path, he would kill them, and do it with pleasure.

He staggered toward the stairs, clenching and unclenching his fist as his other hand dragged the rapier on the ground. His mind was chaos, but still he knew his goal, his goddess and salvation. He had endured half a millenia of torment waiting for her to return to him, and what happened in the next few hours would substantiate all of it. His cracked, charred lips curled into a twisted smile as they formed a single word, the object of his desire.

"Leana..."


	32. Purgatorio

**Purgatorio**

At the same time, on the other side of the house, Daniella struggled into consciousness. By the time she awoke, she was sitting upright. She was unsure if what she was experiencing was reality or a dream. Her eyes seemed gummed over by some sort of film, and the world faded in and out of focus. She felt as though she may pass out again, so she took a moment to close her eyes, grip the metal frame of the bed, and breathe. She could not remember where she had been, or what she had been doing. Her mind spun uncontrollably, seemingly unable to latch onto any one coherent thought for very long. Snippets returned to her: Poppy's face, grinning with his blue-black tongue lolling out one side of his mouth; Riccardo, chastising her for being stupid; and Fendari, violating her.

Her eyes opened wide at this last memory, though they were seeing the past. The fragmented recollection chilled her heart to its core, and she had the feeling of waking from a terrible nightmare. She couldn't quite recall... but the paralyzing horror... She began shaking, and had to tell herself out loud to calm down. Except when she said it, her tongue felt swollen and foreign, and the words came out garbled. What had she been given? Cold sweat broke out on her skin, and she crossed her arms, finally becoming aware of her surroundings.

It was very dark, but she could see that she was in a white, paper-thin medical gown. She was sitting on a gurney in an operating room. She was familiar with this place, associated it with safety... this is where Riccardo and Fiona had been staying, she recognized as the memory returned. But it did not look as she remembered it to be. A solitary fluorescent light flickered feebly, hanging uncertainly onto the ceiling by one side, and a small X-ray panel on the wall gave off a pale glow, but these were the only lights, and the room was draped in shadow. As Daniella rubbed her burning eyes and stared around the room, it became evident that a struggle had occurred here.

Broken glass from the other lights lay strewn across the tiled floor. Chairs were overturned, and an IV pole was tipped onto its side. Carts were placed around at odd angles, and the sink on the other side of the room was running. She saw what looked like scorch marks on the opposite wall. The door, the one that Riccardo always made it a point to lock, was standing wide open. Taking all this in, she quickly realized she was the only person here. Something terrible had happened in this room, while she was in it.

Daniella racked her brain and tried to remember as much as she could. She remembered coming to the house, remembered the puzzles and the keys and the constant running, from the agent and then the servant... she remembered Poppy, poor, precious Poppy, his beautiful fur stained red with his blood. She remembered bringing him here, hoping and praying he would live. She remembered the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right, and the feeling of pain and betrayal when she realized Riccardo had poisoned her. It became hazy after that. She remembered looking up into Riccardo's face as he carried her in his arms... being brought here, and given another concoction, too weak to be distrustful of him. Fortis. A healing sleep, he'd said. That was when it went dark.

What had happened between then and now, and where were Riccardo and Fiona? Did they leave the room and move to another part of the mansion? That wouldn't explain the disarray... maybe they'd been discovered and attacked, and forced to flee. But if that was the case, why had she been left undisturbed? Daniella looked herself over, noticing suddenly that her gown had a thin pocket on one side stuffed with three folded sheets of paper. She reached in and unfolded them, hoping for a note, a clue, anything, and was disappointed to see they were simply old pages of sheet music. She sighed. They meant nothing to her. She put them back and ran her hands over her body, making sure she was unharmed, when she noticed it. She pulled down the front of the gown and exposed a wound just below her collarbone, a dark, scabbed over gash in her flesh.

Her muscles involuntarily stiffened as the nightmare again assaulted her mind, this time much more vivid. The terrible eyeless face, cracked like dry earth, the unrelenting shame and utter helplessness. The deep voice, laced with a psychotic urgency. _Tell me you love me. _Then the sword, the physical and mental trauma as she begged him to stop. The conflicting emotions, the confusion as pain gave way to a carnal pleasure that she didn't want to admit to herself. The feelings of self-loathing and reckless abandon... it was too much for her to bear...

Daniella pulled on her hair and covered her ears, trying desperately to think of something, anything else... though the more she tried, the more she had the familiar impression that she had no control over her mind. No matter what she did, she kept going back there. She still felt the manacles rubbing the raw skin on her wrists and the lingering sensation of his hands, all over her. A sob shook her body. What he had taken from her, she would never get back. If there was a god, he had no dominion in this place, for a god with any compassion would not have allowed any of the horrific things she had seen and experienced here. She sat there for long minutes, curled into the fetal position and repressing the urge to lash out, waiting for the intense emotion to pass.

She stirred out of her troubled reverie only when the thought occurred that she may be discovered here. She was unaware of what had transpired while she had been asleep, but it was obvious from the chaotic state of her environment that people had been in here recently, and though she had not been awakened during whatever occurred, she no longer trusted anyone in this house. Fendari, her most obvious threat, was dead, but she had the sudden compulsion not to be anywhere near Leonardo, with his prying eyes and acrimonious undertone, or even Riccardo, who had saved her life. He had also poisoned her and left her for dead, and she no longer felt comfortable- or even safe- in his presence. The thought of seeing Fiona again was inviting, as she had been nothing but sympathetic and charitable, but she knew that wherever Fiona was, Riccardo was likely not far away.

She finally acted on the instinct that told her to get out of this room as soon as possible. Her arms felt as if they were made of lead, but she pushed herself off the gurney and her bare feet touched the cool floor. She walked over to the operating table across from her, careful not to step on the broken glass. The table was bare, its steel surface reflecting the soft blue light of the flickering bulb. She stared at it for several moments, a great sadness slowly building in her chest. There was only one living creature that she loved and trusted right now, and this was the last place she had seen him. She felt like half of a whole, as though her heart had rent in two and she had lost the better side of it. She bent over and lay her face down on the table, feeling the remnants of shed fur tickling her skin.

"Poppy... oh, Poppy..."

Daniella closed her eyes, and felt a single tear trickle down to the table. She was facing the possibility that he was dead, that he had not survived his injury. The mere thought of it was enough to fill her with an indescribable sense of melancholy, and she felt more absolutely and totally alone than she ever had. His last act had been to protect her, and the debt that she owed him could not be put to words. She did not want to live if he had died, and the only thing she could think about was finding him. Even if it meant seeing her fears confirmed, she had to know. Daniella's whispered promise hung in the still air.

"I'll find you, boy."

The light spilling into the room from the doorway burned her eyes as she approached it, and it appeared as though small, colorful lights were dancing in her periphery. She looked at the ground, shielding her eyes from the light in the hall... and her heart sank further. On the floor in front of her, leading out into the hallway, was a trail of blood. A long, smeared mark marred the stone in front of her, and from there small, dark splotches marked the trail, indicating a path out into the hallway and out of her sight. Somebody or something had been seriously injured, and Daniella felt a sudden stab of guilt as she realized they may have been injured protecting her. As her eyes adjusted, something to the side caught her attention. She turned her head toward the wall beside the doorway, and gasped sharply as her eyes fell upon a message she hadn't seen before. Three large words were burned black into the stone, the letters sharp and hostile: _WELCOME BACK RICCARDO_.

Despite her previous aversion, Daniella suddenly felt the urge to find Riccardo and Fiona, to see their faces and know that they were still alive. In her heart, underneath her suspicions and fears, she was deeply concerned for their well being. Along with this, she felt a deeper need to discover what had happened in the operating room. The greeting on the wall was anything but welcoming, and she had no doubt that whoever had written it had not meant them well. Ever since she'd first met him, Daniella had been aware of the heavy air of apprehension surrounding Riccardo, and she recalled the certain suspicion she'd had that he was hiding from someone. _Leonardo..._ The insinuation made more sense than she wanted to admit. She refused to believe Leonardo would harm them, that he was as dangerous as the sibilant voice of fear and distrust in her head told her he was. He'd been the only one who'd seemed willing to help... but she remembered his artificial smile and the disconcerting eagerness in his voice, and found that she could not banish the doubt completely, no matter how badly she wanted to. Whoever _had_ written the message, Daniella was growing more and more certain that they had come for Riccardo's blood, and had not left disappointed. She continued staring at the mark on the floor, working herself into an irrational tension. _Or maybe it's Poppy's blood_. Maybe he'd been defending her as she was sleeping. And if so, then it was even more likely that he...

She shook her head emphatically. If she allowed any more doubt or despair to enter her already fragile psyche, she wasn't sure she would have the strength to continue. She took a deep breath, knowing that as soon as she stepped foot outside this room, she would be throwing herself once again to the mercy of this place and its deadly machinations. She hesitated... she imagined terrors even worse than what she had encountered, thought of how simple it was to die in a place like this, and how close she had come to death already. But she would stay; she had a debt to repay to her friend.

Daniella crossed the threshold, and entered the nightmare once more.


	33. Dreams of Love

**Dreams of Love**

Daniella made haste through the specimen room, not even sparing a glance at its titanic inhabitant. She would rather be anywhere else. This was where Poppy had been stabbed, and the mere thought of it made her heart ache. Though she had searched high and low, she had not found him. She had checked the atrium, his favorite place, she had scoured the corridors, she'd whistled, called, and begged. She'd even stood in the foyer and yelled his name, though she was certain someone would hear. But nobody did, and Poppy did not appear. She'd seen his empty food dish in the far corner of the room, and her heart broke. Daniella had nearly broken down then, losing all hope that he was still alive. She'd had the sudden, demented urge to escape, to get out, to run into a field somewhere and just die. She'd turned around and yanked on the handles of the large, ornate doors that led outside... and found them sealed shut. The lock was disengaged, but she could not get the doors open. She yanked and banged and screamed until her voice cracked and her hands were raw, but the doors did not budge. Somebody, somehow, had done this to prevent her from escaping. She was sure of it.

She had fought with the doors until she was exhausted, which did not take long in her weakened state, and slid to the floor. She'd looked into the magnificent foyer, with its spiral staircases, beautiful woodwork, and renaissance frescoes. To her, the sight was disgusting. It only looked like a prison now. Her eyes had fallen, then fixated on a streak of smeared blood on the marble floor. Earlier, when she'd exited the operating room, she'd followed the blood trail here, to its abrupt end. It appeared as though whoever or whatever had been bleeding had finally collapsed here, and god only knew what had happened to them after that. She'd shuddered as her mind filled in the blanks with all kinds of unspeakable things. Not even her most paranoid speculation seemed impossible after what she'd seen. She'd laid there, against the door, the feeling of complete abandonment and defeat weighing her down like a boulder.

That was almost a half hour ago, and now, as she reached the small hallway that broke off of the specimen room, Daniella had to remind herself why she was doing this, why she even bothered to keep going. _I have to find Poppy. I have to help Fiona and Riccardo. _She kept telling herself these things over and over, not allowing herself to take the easy way out, to concede to the fact that they were all dead and she had nobody left in the world. As far as she knew, she was the only living being left in this place... but she didn't believe that either. Though the air in the mansion was now still, dead, and completely silent, she had the constant feeling of being watched and monitored. The slightest shift in the shadows made her jump, a flickering candle had stopped her in her tracks. She was a wreck, but still, she forced herself onward.

She stopped as she came upon an inconspicuous wooden door on the left side of the hallway. Her muscles tensed and her eyes closed. She remembered... that was where she had finally succumbed to the poison. That was where he'd taken her. She remembered looking up at the walls, seeing them covered with the obscene paintings of her. The art was the embodiment of Fendari's perversion and anger, but they had all been meticulously crafted and could even be called beautiful. That was part of what had disturbed her so deeply, seeing them was almost like looking into a window and seeing her future, unable to escape and forced into his savage, unnatural sexual fantasies. The torture room breached into her thoughts again, and she breathlessly reminded herself that he could not harm her anymore, that she'd seen him get shot and fall lifeless at her feet. She put it out of her mind as best she could, and continued toward the large, stately double doors at the end of the hall.

As she approached the doors, her footsteps faltered. For the first time since she had awakened, the silence was broken. Just barely, she heard music. From behind the ballroom doors floated the sound of a violin, the melody slow, deep, and incredibly sad. The song struck a chord within her, and she had the unmistakable feeling that she'd heard it before. But, more importantly... somebody was in the ballroom. Daniella's heart turned to ice at the thought of encountering anybody without her dog. Even though she knew that none of the people she'd met here and knew to be alive meant her harm, or so they claimed, what if it wasn't one of them? The mansion was certainly big enough that there could be others here she didn't know about... but she knew she would have to take the risk. It may be Riccardo or Fiona, and if it were, they would be able to tell her what had happened. If it wasn't... well, she would have a good head start once she started running.

She started walking again, taking small, halting steps forward. The melody grew louder as she approached the doors, reaching a crescendo when she came to stand in front of them. It tugged at her heartstrings, and she wondered why it had such an emotional hold on her. Focusing, she took a deep breath, and gripping the decorative gold handle much more tightly than necessary, she pushed open the left door, which made a loud creaking noise. She winced and gritted her teeth at this, knowing that the stranger must have heard. Indeed, the sound of the violin stopped mid-note, and Daniella looked into the room. She drew in a quick, sharp breath.

The only light in the room came from the doorway she'd just opened. The ballroom was a vast, unknown darkness. She heard the sound of wood clattering against stone from somewhere inside. She stepped backward, prepared to turn around and flee. Somebody was in here, playing the violin in total darkness, and her instincts told her that it wasn't someone she wanted to see. She stood in the doorway for a long time, tense, straining to hear footsteps, a voice, any sign that someone was still there, but heard nothing. Slowly, she relaxed, and against her better judgment, she called into the blackness.

"Hello?"

Daniella's pathetic, strained voice bounced and echoed in the chamber, responding back to her in a reverberated whisper. She waited, but no other sounds reached her ears. That terrible dead silence had once again settled around the house, and she did not dare to break it by speaking again. Finally she took action, her need to see another person, to know she wasn't just going crazy, outweighing her trepidation. She stepped into the room, the darkness instantly swallowing her as she passed through the doorway. She quickly turned, searching the surrounding walls for a light switch, when she felt it... a hot breath passing over the back of her neck, tickling her hair. She gasped, whirling around with her hands in a defensive position... but she saw nothing but the impenetrable darkness. She felt herself shaking, rooted to the spot as she tried to reason with herself. Had she really felt that? Was her mind playing tricks on her again? Maybe she really was going insane...

She took a slow step back, then another. There was no sound, no further sensations, nothing to indicate there was anybody here. She let out her breath in a quiet, agonized moan. It was the stress. She couldn't take it. It had been taking a toll on her ever since she'd arrived, and hers was a mind unable to deal with it anymore. She swallowed and made a fist with her right hand, determined not to let fear rule her. She resumed her search for a light switch, and moved to the wall, feeling blindly for anything she could use. Stepping further from the doors, she began to get nervous again when she felt a panel on the wall, running her hands over four protruding knobs and sliding them upward. To her great relief, the huge chandeliers burst to life high above her.

Though her memory of it was vague, tinged with poison and fear, the great ballroom now looked just as she remembered it to be. Elegant pillars along the perimeter of the room supported a railed balcony, the reflective checkered floor shone underneath the glare of the four massive, beautifully ornate chandeliers, and it was covered with unsettling wax sculptures of people dancing. Daniella recoiled at the sight of them, remembering the feeling of absolute helplessness when, in her hour of deepest need, she'd realized they could not help her. At the back of the room was a stage, rising above the dance floor and encompassing a number of different instruments, precisely placed and organized. Her eyes went straight to the violin, laying carelessly near the front of the stage, its bow resting more than a foot away. She quickly scanned the room, but she knew even before doing so that she was the only person here. Whoever had been here was gone.

Daniella started toward the stage at the far end. As she passed by the wax statues, she had to admit that while they put her on edge, the detail and individuality put into each one was impressive. Though they were unpainted, all a pale pink hue, the sculpting was superb, and the distinct faces and clothing set each one apart from the rest. Dancing couples looked contentedly into each others' lifeless eyes, groups convened leisurely under the balcony, single men and women watched the dancers while leaning against pillars and the rails above. She even saw children, chasing each other through the crowd. It felt as though a scene from long ago had been frozen in time, from a time when this place was alive with the sound of voices and laughter, before it had died and become the insane deathtrap she knew it to be. She wanted to approach the idly chatting gentleman next to her, ask his name, tell him to take her away from here... She sighed, returning to the present. Two statues caught her eye, dancing near the stage. She wandered closer, not knowing what it was about these that had sparked her interest, when she noticed: these ones were missing eyes.

She stopped next to them, examining the facial features. Looking at the female was almost like looking in a mirror. She'd seen these faces before. It was Leana and Aureolus Belli. Leana had her hair pinned up with ribbons, and she wore a beautiful, flowing gown. She was gorgeous, but her face was a mask of indifference. She was not looking at Aureolus, but had her head cast down, her mouth and eyebrows giving no indication of happiness or even life. This cold, forlorn look was compounded by the fact that her eyes were black voids, completely gone. Aureolus had his arm around her, but everything about him was stiff and severe, as though he were just going through the motions. His eyes, if he'd had any, were looking down on her, his brows drawn in and close together, his mouth fallen at the edges in thin-lipped disapproval. Daniella had seen this same look in each of the paintings and sculptures she had observed. This was a man who did not smile. Except... A fleeting memory passed through her mind, of younger days, sitting by the riverside and laughing with him. A dream? She couldn't recall.

Daniella left them, the dark eyes reminding her of Fendari's hideous visage, and what he'd done to her. She couldn't stop thinking about it... She ascended the small staircase on the side of the stage, trying vainly to clear her mind of the awful memories. Even then, she knew they would forever haunt her. At the top, her eyes went from the grand piano in the center of the stage to the back where the instruments were placed in individual racks, organized neatly in a row. She recognized each one: viola, cello, double bass, and one rack holding clarinet, flute, and bassoon. The central rack, for the violin, was bare. She walked toward the discarded instrument, laying on the floor near the front of the stage. She picked both violin and bow up, a chill running up her spine as she looked about the enormous chamber, her eyes darting among the room's unmoving inhabitants. What if she was wrong? What if the person who had been playing this _was_ still here, watching her right now?

She convinced herself that she was being unreasonable. Nobody would have any reason to hide from her. But then... where had they gone? She shook her head, returning it to its place in the rack, then walked over to the massive grand piano, examining it with a certain innate understanding, overcome by a sudden, indescribable sensation. Her hands lovingly passed over the eighty-eight keys, and she found herself sitting on the bench in front of it, the violin player forgotten. This felt natural to her, like she had done it may times before. Of course, that wasn't true, but maybe it was another shade of Leana Belli showing through. Daniella gazed over the piano's steel strings at the wax sculpture of her. It seemed like the more she discovered about herself, the more she came to know the woman who had lived here centuries ago. _The sign of a true Belli. A reminder that you're just a clone, Leana... nothing more. _The words echoed back to her. Her hand went almost unconsciously to the back of her left shoulder. Just a clone.

She groaned, fighting against the notion. Being a clone did not mean one could not forge their own path in the world. She had no obligation to her progenitor. She was an individual, a human being, not just an imitation, and she had no intentions of following in Leana Belli's footsteps. Collecting herself, she once again looked upon the keys in front of her. She could play this, she was certain of it, but she didn't know any songs... she suddenly perked up, remembering. She reached into the pocket of the medical gown and pulled out the sheet music she had discounted before. Unfolding the weathered paper, she looked at it with new eyes. Yes, this was written for the piano, and as the notes on the page came alive and formed a harmonic language in her mind, she knew she could read it. She read the title aloud.

"Liebesträume Notturno III."

She lay the three sheets out side by side on the shelf above the keys, half-grinning in anticipation. Her hands rested on the keys, she took a deep breath, and she started playing. The first few key presses were slow and cautious, but she quickly gained confidence and speed. This song especially felt natural to her, the motions coming easily and fluidly. She was surprised by the certainty in her movements, it was as if the music on the page was channeled through her eyes to her fingertips, her body merely a conduit for her soul. Her right hand flew across the keys, creating sweeping flourishes as the left played the base melody of the song, a touching, almost wistful composition. It brought her most beautiful memories to mind, and it painfully reminded her of Poppy. Her head swayed rhythmically as her playing grew more heavy, the majesty of the piano echoing across the room. A wide, blissful smile played across her features, and she closed her eyes. She continued playing, able to see the music in her mind, knowing each stroke as though this song were an integral part of her.

She pounded on the keys and her hair flew into her face, the song building to a climax. As she reached the height of the movement, she paused, then played it back down, the melody trickling, then cascading in an off-key, deranged scale that contrasted the pleasing harmonies of the rest of the song. She masterfully pulled the song out of its dive, transitioning back into the main melody once more. Eyes still closed, she knew she had never needed the music in front of her, it came from her heart. She played the final measures of the composition with an understated peacefulness, the last notes lingering in the still air as her hands finally lay at rest. She breathed heavily, not due to the physical act of playing, but rather the deep emotions the song evoked from her. She sat still, letting the feelings sink in. She was amazed at herself. She'd played it perfectly, as though she had been possessed, guided by some unknown hands. She looked again toward the wax facade of her former self. _No, it couldn't be, _Daniella thought dismissively. It was impossible that Leana had known this song in life, as the date listed below the title was 1850, nearly three hundred years after she had died. So then how...? Daniella shook her head. There was so much... so much she didn't know about herself. That question, the one she'd asked so many times. _"Who am I?" _The truth was she still didn't know. She had no idea.

A sudden sound broke the silence, and above the keys a section of the piano's shelf flipped open almost instantaneously. Daniella leapt off the bench, hitting her leg with one of the instrument's sharp corners. Once the initial shock was over, she relaxed and rubbed her thigh, muttering to herself. She looked curiously inside the compartment that had just opened, then reached in and extracted its contents. She held a dust-covered brooch, a large oval gem in the center that had the deep blue color of a sapphire, the outer trimming an ornate, swirling pattern of gold. She held it up high, the sapphire coming to vibrant life as light penetrated it for the first time in ages. She'd seen this before... very recently, in fact. She once again looked to Leana, her waxen chest adorned with a copy of this very object. It had been hers, and she'd no doubt been the one who hid it in the piano, obtainable only to those who played this song. Daniella placed the brooch in her pocket and again lowered her head to the compartment, wondering how it worked, but more importantly: Why? Why go to such lengths to hide it?

She leaned closer. There was something else. She reached her hand in once more, sliding a small piece of paper toward the outside of the compartment. She picked up the tattered scrap, obviously many, many years old. Two words, written in faded charcoal. _Save me._

A loud, slapping noise echoed around the chamber. Daniella stiffened and clenched her hands tight, the note fluttering to the floor. Another, and another, in a slow, measured rhythm. Somebody was applauding her performance. She began to back up, searching frantically for the source of the noise, but the sound was far too diffused by the time it reached her ears, coming from every direction. The wax ballgoers dispassionately stared, motionless, condemning.

"Beautiful."

A deep voice boomed. Her blood ran cold.

"Simply beautiful. I've waited so long to hear you play again. Such vigor, such raw emotion. Liszt himself would be in awe."

Daniella shook her head slowly, mortified, unbelieving. There was no mistaking that voice.

Fendari was alive.


	34. Dance of the Dead

**Dance of the Dead**

"You seem surprised. Surely you didn't think I would leave you all by yourself in this place?"

A sadistic laugh thundered around Daniella. A huge, faint shadow cast itself over the far wall, giving no hint as to its origin. She leaned against the piano, hyperventilating, her brain unable to rationalize what she was hearing: the voice of a dead man.

"Terror becomes you, my beauty. Have I ever told you that? I wish our relationship were more cordial... but I simply cannot help myself sometimes."

Daniella didn't believe it, she couldn't... She had seen him stop breathing. She had seen him _die._ She began to feel as though she were in a horrible dream from which she couldn't escape, the situation too disconnected from reality for her to process. She stared impotently into the sea of wax before her, knowing Fendari could be anywhere, just waiting to step from the shadows and take her. But then, he didn't even need to hide, he could easily catch her, overpower her. She had no protection anymore. He was just toying with her. She felt tears burning beneath her eyelids. Her legs, suddenly, could barely support her. She continued shaking her head, repeating the word like a mantra.

"No... no, no, no, no."

The shadow shifted. She heard the echo of heavy boots, the sound of metal dragging across the ground.

"You see now, don't you? Even death can't keep me away from you, Leana. I love you, with all my heart I do. You are my raison d'être."

Hands on her face, Daniella blocked out his words, her voice rising, breaking, shrieking.

"No. No, no. No no no NO NO NOOOO!"

A deafening slam of steel striking wood echoed, silencing her. Daniella's legs buckled, and she fell to her knees. If it was true, if Fendari could not die... then there was no doubt in her mind that this was the end of her free life. He was never going to stop coming after her. His voice rang in her ears, disappointed, disgusted.

"But listen to you. Still, so reluctant to accept me." A pause. "Did the beautiful experience we shared mean nothing to you?"

She unconsciously drew into herself as a ghost of the remembered pain throbbed between her legs. Every memory was one she wished she could forget. But even so, her subconscious threatened domination over her senses. She heard the distant sound of a chain, and couldn't stop those unwanted feelings of rapture from washing over her...

"Answer me, Leana!"

Daniella finally looked up at the shadow, lifting her face from her hands. Her tears were dry.

"Fendari." she said finally, her voice feeble and pleading. "It wasn't beautiful. It was violent. It was _sick_. I can't think about it without hating myself, without reliving the pain. If you truly believe what you say... If you truly love me... How could you force yourself on me like that? How could you hurt me so deeply?"

Though she knew reasoning with a twisted mind like his was futile, she wasn't asking the question in hopes of evoking mercy. She was asking for herself. She knew nothing he could ever say or do could absolve him after what he'd done to her, but her scarred soul needed justification. She needed a reason, to make some kind of sense out of what had happened down there. There was a long silence, and the shadow disappeared. Daniella slowly stood back up, impossibly hoping that he was leaving. She eyed the doors across the room, considering making a break for them. Finally, he spoke once more, his voice now a snake hiss of spitting, venomous accusation.

"Because you deserve it."

At that moment, the chandeliers' light died out overhead and the world disappeared, consumed again by pitch darkness. Daniella gasped, feeling blindly for the piano beside her, rapidly losing her sense of place. She was as helpless as an infant, trapped in a room with a psychopath, alone. So alone. Her hands found the polished wood of the piano lid, gripping it like it were a life raft in a raging sea. She heard footfalls and the ominous grinding of metal against stone. Faint, terrified cries escaped her as she formulated desperate plans in her head, each one leading to a dead end. The sounds were getting louder, but she couldn't let go, couldn't move, forced to inaction as her greatest fear descended upon her. She began to panic.

"You're a traitorous whore."

Daniella screamed as the voice spoke from just behind her. She ran, blindly, hands outstretched. Suddenly the floor fell away, and she dropped off the stage, hitting the ground hard and landing on her stomach. She lay on the ground in pain, willing herself to get up, to get away. She heard him near her, imagined him standing over her, his ghastly face smiling, watching in amusement. She struggled to her feet, took a faltering step, then felt a strong hand close over her wrist. She screamed again, half-sobbing as she thrashed her arms, trying to break the grip. Now she could see him, a demon with softly glowing skin, the cracks in his face fonts of unholy blue light. His other hand struck her across the face, hard, then grabbed her other wrist, pulling her in. Daniella was delirious with fear, her mind blank, and still she fought him as she smelled the vile scent of decay on his breath.

"You deserve to be chased down and ravaged like the bitch you are. You left me to die in that place, and you never returned!" Daniella, unhearing, bucked and struggled like a wild animal. He struck her again, drawing blood this time, and she cried out. "I never escaped. And now, neither will you."

With one hand free, Daniella hit his jaw with her palm, simultaneously biting deep into the hand that still held her. Fendari's grip loosened enough for her to break away, and he growled in anger. Daniella ran, directionless and panicked. She ran into someone in the darkness and yelled, pushing him away... hearing something clatter to the ground, she realized it was a wax sculpture. She kept running, felt a cold, stiff hand graze her hair and shrieked, backing into the arms of another, unable to escape them. In her addled mind, the wax people were converging on her, trapping her.

She pushed the statue away, stumbling forward, when Fendari's spectral form seemed to materialize in front of her. She tried to reverse her forward motion, but couldn't keep her balance, and she felt herself falling back and hitting the floor once more. She scrambled to push herself away from him, feeling the dark cavities in his face following her, knowing they could see her. His unearthly features contorted with derisive petulance.

"You're so appalled by my face, but it's your design. This is because of you!" He pointed a ghostly finger at her, his voice all blame and bitterness. He advanced on her murderously, and Daniella felt stone behind her back. "You're the only person who can right the wrongs committed by your accursed bloodline. I will take what I am owed."

"STOP, PLEASE STOP! I'M NOT LEANA BELLI!"

Daniella's desperate yell reverberated around the chamber, stopping Fendari in his tracks. She lay on the floor, watching him, left with nowhere else to run. Did that mean anything to him? Did he even care?

Fendari hesitated, an unnatural grin spreading across the pale blue skull of a face. Daniella felt her stomach turn inside-out. No, she hadn't changed anything. He laughed, a malicious chuckle that made her hair stand on end. He took two conclusive steps forward, towering above her.

"You are homunculus. You share blood, body and mind. You are one in the same. And you belong to me."

Daniella stared at his face, shaking her head. In the right corner of her eye, though, was where her attention was really focused. She'd seen it while he was talking... far away, the slightest suggestion of a strip of light near the floor, the small, almost indiscernible reflection of Fendari's glow on two doorknobs. It was the doors, the way out. She knew it. But she only had one chance to get there... he wasn't likely to give her two. She stood up, trembling but holding her ground, her face inches from his. He reached out to touch her, his grin growing wider. He did not notice Daniella's hand silently removing the rapier from its buckle at his side.

"I don't belong to anybody," said Daniella, and she drove the sword into his foot.

She heard him take in a seething breath, but by the time he let it out as a scream of ire and pain she had already begun sprinting toward the doors. She ran faster and harder than she ever had in her short life, her breath burning in her chest as she closed the considerable distance between herself and freedom. She was running too fast to be able to see the subtle light indicating the doors, relying only on her sense of direction, doubt gnawing at her insides. She suddenly had an intense feeling of déjà vu. Running for her life, trying to reach the doors to safety, knowing he was at her heels... she'd been here before, in the mines below the mansion. She couldn't help but look back, and when she did she saw the nightmarish apparition limping, but still giving chase at an alarming speed. As she was turning back around, she tumbled headlong into one of the invisible wax sculptures, knocking it over and nearly losing her footing.

Daniella stumbled forward, losing valuable momentum as she overrode her brain's safety mechanisms and forced herself to keep running. Her lungs were in dire, stabbing pain and her heart pounded like a jackhammer, but she knew the consequences of giving up. Fendari's deep voice rose over the rushing air and the sound of her feet hitting the ground.

"Run, Leana! Run from inevitability! Your past will always be one step behind you!"

That was when she heard him laugh, different than before, a mirthless, maniacal cackle that sent a rush of terror up her spine and compelled her onward. Her gait faltered and staggered, her legs no longer able to keep up with her brain. Pushed to the very limits of exhaustion, she stared into the dark void ahead of her, unable to tell whether she had ten more feet or ten thousand, when she slammed headfirst into the oak door. She stumbled back, disoriented and confused, feeling blood pour out of the new gash on her forehead. Falling forward against the door, Daniella gasped for air and groped for the handle. She did not look back. Her hand found purchase, and she stepped back and pulled open the door as hard as she could, warm light finally spilling into her world.

Daniella escaped into the hall, slamming the door shut behind her as her flight took her down the long, straight corridor. She ran, in great physical pain but unable to put her mind to anything else. The thought of Fendari catching her and keeping her confined, forced to please and serve him in the basest of ways for the rest of her life, was more threatening to her than death. The blood from her forehead began flowing into her eyes, and she closed them, smearing it on her face in an attempt to wipe it away. She tasted it in her mouth, the distinct flavor of iron lingering on her tongue.

Finally she broke into the well-lit, airy specimen room. Struggling to breathe and unable to run anymore, she turned around, expecting to see Fendari close behind... but the hall was empty. There was only one exit in the ballroom, and he could come through it at any second. She knew that she would not have the strength to run from him if he did. She looked around the room for somewhere, anywhere she could hide, but realized the circular room's only defining feature was the towering dinosaur in the center. She heard the distant, muffled sound of heavy footsteps behind the doors, and knew she needed to take action.

Bruised, bleeding, and exhausted, and with lack of a better plan, Daniella straddled the dinosaur's tail, which was close enough to the ground for her to reach, and slid herself along the rough, alligator-like hide of the creature, inching her way up. She heard the door open just as she reached the base of the tail, and from here there was enough space on the carnivore's back for her to get on her knees and clamber up faster. She hastened up the creature's back as quickly and quietly as possible, hearing Fendari's determined approach down the hallway. She finally ascended to its neck, laying prone and throwing her arms around it, keeping herself as small as possible. She closed her blood-caked eyelids, knowing that if this didn't work, she would be in the worst possible position, stranded and unable to get down. She was high enough on the reared-up colossus that he would not see her unless he looked up at it... but if he did, it was over. Trembling, she gripped the hide of the dinosaur's neck as tightly as she could, and waited.

Daniella looked down at the hall entrance, keeping absolutely still, her breathing as slow and measured as she could manage. She watched Fendari step into the room, rapier in hand. Seeing him in the light, he no longer glowed and almost appeared normal, except for the hideous, ghoulish face. Daniella shuddered involuntarily, not understanding how a human being could ever come to look like that. He walked closer to the her, pausing. He took a deep breath through his nose, almost like... he was _smelling _her. Daniella's muscles constricted, and her teeth ground together. He wasn't moving. He knew she was here, didn't he? She cursed herself, this was a terrible plan, and now such stupidity would cost her dearly.

Daniella stopped breathing, a silent, helpless observer to her own life or death verdict. She felt fresh blood trickle down the side of her face. Fendari made a "Hmmm," sound, turning his head toward the short hall with the door that led back to the courtyard and the mansion proper. He hesitated, turning his head from that door, to the one that led into the library, and back. If the thought so much as occurred to him to even look up here, that's all it would take. The tension was too much, and Daniella had to work harder and harder to repress the intense fear that could give her away. Finally, he started toward the door leading back to the courtyard with determined purpose, turning his back on the room.

Daniella started breathing again, but did not allow herself to relax, watching him closely as he stalked toward the hall leading out. He was facing away from her, his face thankfully hidden now behind his long dreadlocked hair. He did not go through, but hesitated at the threshold, and Daniella's breath caught. He turned his head quickly back, as though he'd heard her, and his cracked, pitted face stared back into the room. Her death-grip on the dry skin tightened. Five painfully long seconds passed, and then, with a grunt, Fendari finally turned around and entered the hall.

She heard him open the door at the end, the rusty hinges making an eerie creaking noise. She waited until she heard it slam shut to let out her breath and release her hold. Though he'd left, she waited up there for more than a minute, silent, listening closely for any sign that he was coming back. He didn't, and finally she sighed loudly, her voice strained with pent-up tension. Pushed far past all limits, physical and emotional, she started to silently cry, and found that she couldn't stop. She knew the truth. She had no hope, no friends, and no future. No matter what she did, she would never leave this place, and avoiding Fendari only served to postpone her inescapable destiny. She lay up there for a long time, blood and tears streaming down her face, only one lamented name escaping her lips, whispered over and over.

"Poppy..."


	35. What it Means to Be Alone

**What it Means to Be Alone**

Daniella's bare feet hesitantly touched the stone floor. She let go of the dinosaur's tail, gazing up at the spot on its neck where she had spent the last ten minutes, still barely believing she hadn't been seen. She sniffled and looked down, fumbling in her pocket, then extracted the brooch and looked at her golden reflection in its backside. She barely recognized herself. She was impossibly gaunt. Dried blood covered her entire face and matted her hair, the seemingly endless flow from the wound in her forehead having finally slowed, but not stopped completely. Her left cheek was bruised and puffy where Fendari had hit her. Her eyes were reminiscent of those of the wax people, dead, devoid of life or hope. She was in bad shape, but she was alive, and she was free, whatever that counted for anymore. With her spirit crushed and her will to live becoming indistinct, her survival instincts were all that was keeping her going.

She continued staring into the reflective surface, her mind somewhere else, trying to make sense of the ludicrous situation in which she found herself. Fendari was not dead, and could not die. The very concept of it was impossible to fathom, and the implications of it chilled her to the bone. Real life simply did not allow for such circumvention of its established rules. Some kind of perversion of the natural order was keeping him alive.

She was now certain of her suspicion, the one she'd previously thought far too outlandish to be accurate: Fendari had been alive ever since the first days of her accursed family's rise to power, and he had known and loved Leana Belli. He saw Daniella as the same, and became enraged when she spurned him. She'd inferred from his deranged monologues that he believed her Azoth, the essence of her life as Riccardo had described it to her, was somehow able to heal him, to make him human once more. Daniella didn't believe it. He was obviously insane. He was also dangerous, though, and possessed preternatural abilities that could not be rationally explained. Whereas before chasing her had almost seemed to be a game to him, it was now clear that the game was over, and he meant to take her captive by any means necessary. And then... _I will take what I am owed. _He would take everything. Nobody was left to save her.

Daniella turned the brooch over in her hand. She knew what to do with it, remembered seeing the strange lock the first time she'd come through here. Entering the wide hall opposite the one Fendari had gone through, she approached the large set of metal double doors at the end. The lock that held the doors closed was an ancient-looking rusted padlock that held a large, bulky chain in place that ran through round holes in both doors. What had confused her about it at the time was that this lock did not have a keyhole, rather a complicated oval impression in its center. She held the brooch up, superimposing it over the inset design in the padlock. The shape matched perfectly. Daniella paused, looking over her shoulder. Was opening this a good idea? What if she was trapping herself by entering? What if Fendari had been the one that put the piano music in her pocket, and this was all according to his plan?

Finally, she stepped forward resolutely. If that was true, it wouldn't matter what she did. It was pointless worrying about the worst case scenario, because she would be powerless to prevent it either way. Maybe she would be safe in there. After all, as far as she knew, she had the only key. Or maybe, just maybe, there was someone back there who could help her. Someone who could help her find her dog and escape this wretched place, for she had changed her mind; this was not her home, and she no longer wanted to be here. She didn't care that this was where her legacy was, she didn't care that she didn't yet know the reason for her creation or the fate of the woman from whom she was cloned. She just wanted to know if Poppy was alive, and what had happened to Riccardo and Fiona, and then she wanted to get out. The police were surely all over by now, and on the lookout for her, but even that uncertain fate was preferable to staying here a moment longer. She could leave her identity behind and live a normal life outside these walls. A life free of the constant fear of death and the haunting discoveries about her past, one where she did not second-guess the motives of everyone she knew. She never wanted to meet another Belli as long as she lived.

Daniella placed the brooch above the slot in the large, square metal padlock, and slid it into the impression, being careful not to damage the ornate gold trimming. She pushed it down, and felt it latch into place. The bolt loosened, and she struggled with the rusted mechanism. Finally, she managed to push the bolt far enough to slide the chain free. With much difficulty, she lifted the heavy steel chain from the other side, pulling it through the hole to free the doors from its bind. She pulled as hard as she could, grunting and sweating with exertion, and finally pulled the chain free of the doors, dropping chain and lock in a heap onto the floor in front of her and leaning over to catch her breath. She barely had the strength to lift the thing, much less lock it from the inside. _So much for having the only key_, she thought wearily as she extracted the brooch from the lock, putting it back in her pocket. What could be in there that would require this kind of protection? And why was Leana's brooch the only way to open it?

She was still unsure whether she really wanted to know, but she knew there was no alternative. Her decision had been made. She wrapped her hand around the door handle on the left and put all her weight into the door, which surprised her by swinging open noiselessly and smoothly. As the door swept across the ground inside, a thick layer of dust rose into the air, entering Daniella's nose and mouth, nearly choking her. She doubled over, coughing heavily, years of undisturbed stillness suddenly alive and swept into the air all around her, settling in the back of her throat. She tasted dryness and antiquity in her mouth as her fit came to an end. Rubbing her eyes, she stood in the doorway, looking through the sparkling, falling dust into the dark chamber.

The room was large, perhaps as large as the one she was standing in, and though there were no lights on inside, the soft glow of the moon illuminated the room sufficiently, bathing the entire room in an almost magical fluorescence. Windows surrounded the room, and weeds and vines grew thickly and indiscriminately up the walls and around the perimeter. It almost seemed like a private garden, the large windows looking out onto the town of Dark Bay far below. There was something in the center of the room, too... a sculpture of some sort, but she couldn't see it well from the doorway. The room was strangely inviting. Daniella took one last look over her shoulder, then stepped inside, pushing the large door shut behind her, which closed with an ominous boom.

More dust was thrown into the air, and she made it a point not to breathe in. Nobody had been in here for many, many years, that much was obvious. She recalled the secret study above the atrium, the one with the mummified bodies, when she'd had a similar feeling of entering a long-forgotten ruin. But this was different, somehow... she felt a profound closeness with this place, though she could not say why. Surreptitiously, she stepped further in, careful to displace as little dust as possible. She reached down at her side and grasped at the air before realizing that Poppy was not there. She sighed heavily, realizing she still hadn't come to terms with the fact that he was not with her anymore. It was hard.

As Daniella approached the center of the circular room, she looked up at the towering effigy she'd seen from the doorway. She gasped suddenly, stopping dead. It was horrendous to look upon. It seemed to have been hacked together from spare materials, its frame a mesh of steel poles, old furniture, and wooden beams, and surrounding this crude armature were bedsheets, straw, pages from books that were fastened and pasted together, dresses and underclothes, animal skins, and all manner of other makeshift components. It was vaguely in the shape of a person hunched over, with arms of tattered cloth and pointed steel extending straight out of its sides. It bore down on Daniella, and suspended just above her was its hideous grinning face, molded from brown clay or some similar substance.

The face was one of the most disconcerting things she'd ever seen. Its large, uneven eyes were dyed a dark red, and the dye had run down the face, giving the impression that it was crying tears of blood. The perimeter of the face was adorned with faded bird feathers, and the teeth that made up its horribly grinning mouth appeared to be made out of real bone fragments, all chipped and sharp. A myriad of blades and sharpened metal hung beneath the face, and below that... a necklace of skulls. Daniella unconsciously stepped backward, not breathing. At least seven small human skulls, strung up on a line and hung around its neck.

Daniella turned, unable to look upon the abhorrent idol any longer. Why would somebody make this? She quickly realized, now that she was standing in the middle of the domed room and taking it in, that the effigy was not the only thing here that was frightening. There were messages written on the walls high above her in what appeared to be chalk, and etched deeply into the windows that surrounded her. _NO ESCAPE. THE END DOES NOT COME. AUREOLUS-SATAN. MOTHER, WHAT HAVE I DONE? _The cryptic, disquieting scrawls were everywhere. Some of the windows above her were broken, the glass still lying on the floor underneath the dust, the night wind whistling forlornly through. And, close to a small tunnel in the opposite wall, what appeared to be embalmed, misshapen corpses were hung on four makeshift crucifixes, metal stakes through their hands and feet, each one with "INRI" engraved into the wood above their heads.

"Oh... oh no..."

Within a matter of moments, the chamber had, in Daniella's mind, turned from a moonlit haven to a demented asylum. The atrocious manikin was laughing at her, its blood-streaked eyes piercing her soul. The tormented missives gained a voice, their sorrow and regret echoing around the room. The vegetation grew up around her feet, ensnaring her, preventing escape. She didn't want to be here.

She ran, ignoring all the reasons she'd come, the hallucinations assaulting her mind. Kicking dust into the air, heading for the double doors she'd entered through, Daniella felt panic again wrap its choke vines around her heart. Reaching the doors, she found with a surge of terror that there were no handles on the inside of these doors. She pushed on them, banged on them, and tried painfully to fit her hand into the space between, all to no avail. She was trapped in here. Daniella felt a scream building in her lungs, but she cut it off, trying desperately to regain control of herself. It was much more difficult now, after all the mental stress, the despair and guilt and bitter loneliness. _It's just the stress, _she repeated to herself. _Don't let it control you. Just breathe._

Daniella tightly gripped the cloth of her now filthy medical gown. She put a hand on her chest and felt the rumbling of her heart. Her breaths came slower, easier. She was in control. There had to be another way out of here, she was being irrational. Why else would there be doors that only opened from one side? And whatever had happened here, whoever had built that ghastly idol and crucified those poor people... they were long gone. She reminded herself that she was obviously the first to set foot in here in many years. Though the mere knowledge that somebody had perpetrated such mad, senseless acts scared her, she knew she was alone. She sighed, turning back around.

Daniella walked back through the glittering dust curtain, beginning to wonder what she would find when she went deeper into this secluded wing of the mansion, hoping that what she'd seen in this room wasn't an indication of what was to come. The dust all around her had all but dashed her hopes of finding anyone who could help her, but if nobody ever came through here, at least she would be safe. Until Fendari discovered the padlock on the floor, anyway... _Hopefully by then,_ she thought to herself, _I'll be gone. _And despite what she'd seen, Daniella realized that she still had that fleeting feeling of familiar comfort in here. It was a strange sensation that didn't make sense, and it compelled her to go deeper, and find the meaning of what she was feeling.

Trying her best to avert her eyes from the room's strange decorations, Daniella saw two ways she could go. Opposite her was a cramped tunnel, low to the ground, that appeared to have been hewn into the stone wall by hand. It was, to say the least, uninviting. To her right, between the two largest windows which provided a wide view of the expanse of moonlit coastline beneath the mansion, a stairway led up to a colorful, meticulously painted door. Daniella could see from the windows that on the outside, this stairway was actually a passage suspended in midair, leading up to an isolated spire. She ascended the steps, admittedly curious as to what could be inside. It was only when she was close to the door at the top that she could truly appreciate its beauty. Much of the paint had dulled, and some had flaked off of the wood, but it was still surprisingly captivating. A multicolored border lined with blue gems, similar to the one in Leana's brooch, surrounded the painting in the center, a green hill with a tree, underneath which was a small, nondescript well. Something in Daniella's subconscious sprang to life; the place in this painting was important, she'd been there... but it was not a memory, just a vague inclination, as if from a dream. And underneath the painting... a metal relief was secured to the door, one she knew well by now. It was once again in the flowing shape of the brooch. _Maybe it's like a master key, _she thought as she began to wonder just how many doors she'd be able to open with it.

Daniella ran her hand over the gems on the perimeter, the elaborate door striking her as the type of ceremonial decoration one would find in a king's tomb. Smiling, she took from her pocket the brooch, and slid it into the steel impression the same way she had with the padlock, pressing down and hearing it catch. Her hand found the small brass handle, and turned it, but it stopped fast halfway. _Damn. _She crouched down, examining the handle, but did not see any other locks or a keyhole anywhere. It just wouldn't open. Maybe the brooch was one of many security measures on this door... Daniella had noticed that many of the puzzles and mechanisms she'd come across had been surprisingly high-tech for a house built in the 14th century, perhaps this was no exception. Whether that was the case or not, though, it meant the same thing for her. She pulled on the brooch, attempting to slide it out as she'd done before, but this time it was resisting her. She tried to get her fingers around the edges, tried to push up on the sapphire in the center... nothing. It was not leaving this door. _Great, _she thought, _apparently I'm only opening one door with this 'master key' of mine._

She turned around, dejectedly descending the stairway and eying the rough tunnel at the bottom of the wall. That was the only path still unexplored, and it didn't sit well with her. She'd learned a good many things about herself during her brief life, but there was one feeling she'd become intimately familiar with: claustrophobia. After all the hiding places, locked rooms, small passages and dark spaces, Daniella started to panic every time she began to feel trapped. It had just happened, here in this room, and the idea of crawling through such an ominous, narrow hole brought forth a twisting feeling of anxiety inside her. It was much smaller than the hole she'd gone through to get to the alchemy chamber. She would barely be able to fit through.

She approached the tunnel warily, trying to convince herself that it was a good choice. _Wherever it leads has to be less hostile than this room, _she thought as her eyes wandered to the small, deformed bodies suspended on the wooden crosses. She quickly looked away, disgusted. Though the luminance of the moon cast the room in an appealing glow, it could not penetrate the darkness inside. It reeked of death and tragedy in here. That vague, inexplicable feeling of safeness was not enough to get her to stay.

She came up next to the hole and got on her knees, sneezing from the dust on the floor, and stared inside. The tunnel was long, but she could see light on the other side. It was not the cool moonlight that pervaded this room, rather a ruddy, flickering orangeness. Daniella recognized it as the light of one of the perpetually burning torches she'd gotten used to seeing. She bit the flesh of her lip, steeling herself to enter. If anything happened to her back there, nobody would hear her scream. She would've given anything at that moment for the comforting sound of paws on the stone beside her, or the feeling of soft fur beneath her fingers. But no comfort was offered.

She breathed deeply, then crawled into the passageway, feeling her bare back scrape against the rugged stone above. She lowered herself as much as possible, shimmying down the tunnel on her belly. The oppressive walls surrounded her, and she closed her eyes, trying to prevent the anxiety from setting in. She felt her way along, making slow progress. In her mind, she put herself somewhere else. She was standing outside of the house, and Fiona and Hewie were there, and so was Riccardo, and Poppy was licking her face. They were all free, and ready to start new lives. She didn't know where she would go, but it felt so good to set foot on the ground outside and know that, finally, it was over. It was a wonderful dream, but she couldn't completely forget about the cold stone sliding beneath her. The fantasy couldn't last.

An unpleasant, pungent odor filled her nostrils, and she opened her eyes, seeing that she was inches away from the tunnel's exit. Sighing with relief, she quickened her pace, crawling headfirst out of the small passage and standing up, stretching thankfully. She opened her eyes, then gasped sharply, her eyes fixated on the woman rocking slowly in front of her. Lifeless eyes, bloody wrists, slit throat, and a cross carved into her forehead.

She looked upon herself.


	36. iMmoRTuOs sUM

**I_M_M_O_R_T_U_O_S_S_U_M**

_Drip._

The rocking chair swayed back and forth, as if moved by unseen hands. In it sat a beautiful woman with violet hair, meticulously groomed and straightened. Her dress was a muted green, with an intricate white pattern running down the front.

_Drip._

Her eyes, the color of a storm cloud, stared at Daniella, unseeing and flickering in the torchlight. There was something missing from them. They'd been robbed of their color and beauty, leaving them empty. Her full lips were barely parted in a whisper, frozen in time.

_Drip._

Her forehead had been christened by a blade, the deep red cross a symbol of her devotion. Blood poured sluggishly down her neck from a deep slice, from ear to ear. Her hands lay limp and open on the arms of the chair, blood pooling in her wrists, and rolling off, drop by drop, onto the wood floor beneath.

_Drip._

Daniella swallowed heavily, making no sound. She listened to the creaking chair and the falling blood, trying to accept the sound as proof that she was not still hallucinating. It was too real. She saw her own death in those eyes, as she had in the observatory at Belli Castle. Her heart seemed to stop, her hands turning cold as ice. Daniella closed her eyes, her trembling hand going to her own forehead, feeling the warm liquid streaming down her skin.

"Oh god... Oh god."

She turned away and clawed at her face, her mind trapped in a dark place, visions of death and fire flooding from its recesses. A black fog clouded her judgment and corroded her sanity, on the verge of seizing her consciousness completely. She babbled, barely coherent and unable to hear herself, lost completely in chaos and madness.

"I don't believe you. You're not me. You're not there. Get out, get out, get out."

She lunged forward, grasping for the corpse, fear and confusion her only reaction.

"GET OUT!"

She felt the wood and wicker chair beneath her fingers, shaking it violently and screaming. She did not feel the cold skin of the dead, and her eyes snapped open. The chair was vacant. Nobody there. A sickening horror in her stomach. _This is it. You've gone insane. This place has finally won._

Daniella felt like a newborn child, unable to make sense of the world, her own senses no longer reliable. The line between paranoia and reality had become too blurred, and now she was stranded and helpless inside her own head, a prisoner to her own terrible nightmares. She could feel the pieces of her humanity falling away one by one, and it was the worst feeling she'd ever known, like a plague of locusts spreading out of her heart, infesting her brain. She ran her hands through her matted hair, trying to calm down.

"No. No, keep in control. Don't let them do this. I've come too far."

Daniella couldn't look away from the empty chair, imagined the apparition still there, tangible, staring. She didn't know what had brought on the terrifying delusion, but she had no doubt that the longer she was here, broken, alone and scared, the worse these episodes would become. She finally tore her eyes away from the rocking chair, looking fearfully around the room. In a fit of mania, she second-guessed everything she saw, worried that she would no longer be able to tell what was even real.

She was in a woman's bedchamber. Four torches on opposite walls bathed the room in a saturated orange glow. Furniture lined the room, the rocking chair in front of her, a large, sturdy dresser across from her, an off-white vanity to her left, a large bed with a decorative folding screen around it in the closest corner, and a tall closet in the opposite corner. On first glance, the room seemed relatively unremarkable, but the closer Daniella examined the room, the less natural it seemed. Faded stains marked the hardwood floor, dark reddish-brown in color. The two paintings that were hung in this room were crude and a little unnerving, one depicting a black man with a large, bloody wound in his stomach, the other depicting what appeared to be Belli Castle with a great hand reaching down from the sky and grasping it. The sheets and drapes of the elegant four-poster bed were missing, and clothes, books and paper were scattered across the floor. A wall of glass inexplicably cut the room into two halves, but near the center of this wall a large section of it was shattered, and sharp fragments littered the floor. The disarray in the chamber brought her back to the operating room, and she had the same feeling of unease that she'd had when she'd awoken there.

That malodorous smell was strong here, and Daniella was a little afraid of what she might find if she explored this place any further. An archway led out of the room on the other side of the glass pane, and she decided that she didn't want to stay here any longer than she had to, lest her mind start fabricating more frightening illusions. Carefully, she crossed to the broken glass wall and approached the jagged hole. She pulled in her limbs and ducked as she stepped through, the sharp glass alarmingly close on all sides. As she was stepping out, her left arm barely dragged across one of the edges, but it was enough to break her skin. She cursed herself for being careless, examining the blood welling up from the scratch on her wrist. It was just like... She immediately looked away, wishing she hadn't seen it.

The closer she got to the other side of the room, the more potent the smell became. Daniella couldn't place it, it was almost like a large amount of food had been allowed to spoil somewhere. It was rank, and she stopped breathing through her nose. She made her way toward the open archway, passing by the old vanity with its filthy mirror and approaching the tall, nondescript closet next to the archway. She stepped on a sheet of paper on the floor, and looked down. They were scattered all over, some bearing dark, smeared charcoal drawings of explicit sexual and religious imagery, others covered with the same kind of unintelligible scrawls as the walls in the other room. The rocking chair was still creaking, showing no sign of slowing, the loud noise slowly drilling a hole in her mind. She felt the blood rolling off her wrist, heard it hitting the wood floor.

_Drip._

Her hands balled up and her heart began beating faster. She did not dare look behind her, certain she would see her own dead body sitting in the chair. She continued to head determinedly for the archway, but the smell was getting suffocating. She felt like she was going to be sick. It was an all-encompassing rancidness, and she was unable to stop a groan from escaping her. Whatever it was, it was coming from that closet, she knew it. _Don't open it, _she thought, trying to convince herself. _You don't want to know. _It was mere inches away. Something inside her fought against her instincts, and Daniella found that she could not resist looking inside. One hand on her nose, she reached out with the other and grabbed the closet's wooden handle with white knuckles. She hesitated, then pulled.

_Drip._

The terrible smell hit her full force, and Daniella stumbled back. The open closet door revealed a wall of organic matter. It appeared to be a solid block of rotting flesh, with pockets of blood and pus scattered throughout. It was atrocious, something that should not have been. Daniella plastered herself against the glass wall behind her as she saw it starting to liquify and leak out the doorway and onto the floor. She saw hints of skulls and bones poking out of the disgusting ooze, and she retched, bending over and clutching at her throat. She finally forced herself to move, stumbling backward away from the spreading puddle of death, toward the opposite wall. She felt the vanity behind her and turned around, grasping the sides of the shelf beneath the dirty mirror. Dead eyes stared back.

_Drip._

Daniella's breathing stopped, and her heart pounded in her ears. She saw her mortality in the mirror, a pale corpse wearing that green dress, streams of blood running down her forehead, gutted like a fish. The unfocused gray eyes stared blankly back at her, then began twitching, moving rapidly, as would the eyes of a person in a deep sleep. Daniella kept staring in abject horror, whimpering softly as reality left her, powerless to stop any of it. As the putrid mass flowed across the wood behind her, Daniella saw snaking black tendrils spreading out from the closet, slowly expanding onto the surrounding walls and floor, gaining form as they quickly grew into misshapen, webbed growths. Her nails scraped across the wood of the vanity.

_Drip._

The room behind her was black and breathing, the cancer having spread to every wall. Daniella felt the corruption snaking up her legs, but could not move. Her hideous reflection's entire head was beginning to twitch unnaturally, and red veins were tracing erratic paths across her face, originating at the bloody cross. Its pale blue lips smiled at her, showing a set of black teeth, like Fendari's. Daniella felt oblivion coming on, struggling to stay conscious, to stay alive. The lips moved, and she heard a ghostly whisper in a foreign tongue, like the sound of the wind whistling through the brittle branches of a dead tree.

"Immortuos... sum..."

The darkness climbed her legs, like a million ants, enveloping her stomach, constricting her movement, her breathing. The phantasm in the mirror continued.

"Belli... sum..."

A buzzing sound, coming from inside her head, was growing louder. The twitching face in the mirror was spiderwebbed with a thousand rivers of fire.

"Tu... fui..."

Insanity and chaos. Daniella stared into hell. Death saturated the air she breathed. The swarm climbed her neck and covered her face, entering her mouth and eyes.

"...ego eris."

Daniella screamed at the top of her lungs, slamming her head into the mirror. It cracked. She did it again, and again, and again. She felt her wound reopen, and warm blood poured down her face. In an act of desperation, she grabbed the vanity by its sides and slammed it face-down onto the floor. She heard the mirror shatter, and all of the deafening sound stopped, replaced by total silence. Daniella fell back against the wall, sliding to the bottom, shaken to her core, incapable of the most basic functions. She looked out at the room through her tears, and it was clean and unchanged but for the ancient remains on the floor in front of her. The closet door hung open, small bones and skulls having spilled out onto the wooden floor. The smell of rot was no longer in the air. The deranged visions had left no trace of their existence. She was alone.

Daniella's nails dug into her palms as she cowered in the corner, looking at the fallen vanity beside her. _It's impossible, _she thought frantically, _I smelled, heard, saw, and felt it. Everything was too real. I'm not imagining this. I'm not crazy. This is really happening. _But though she latched onto this idea, trying desperately to justify it, she knew she didn't believe herself. She'd seen the same psychotic delusion in Fendari, believing in a lie he'd constructed, and she refused to do that to herself. There was only one alternative. The dark, bleak shadow of truth swept across her ravaged mind. She had been pushed over the edge. Everything that had happened to her here had stripped away her soul, leaving her cold and hopeless, and slowly, this apathy became a disease that had eaten away at her psyche until there was nothing left. Her friends were dead, her goal unreachable, and her future worse than death. It had become too much, and now it was too late to go back. It could only get worse. But why now, all of a sudden?

_Maybe it's this place, _she thought, recalling the strange feelings she'd been noticing ever since she opened that locked door. This wing of the mansion... it meant something to her. Deep down, she felt an indistinct resonance here. It had triggered something inside her. If she could get out, far away from here, maybe the hallucinations would stop. It was her only chance, and if she didn't do it soon... Daniella envisioned a hellish future, wandering the halls, haunted by vicious nightmares, her mind desecrated to the point of torpor, trapped in a waking coma. Her entire body shivered.

She lay against the wall for a moment longer, collecting herself, waiting to see if it was really over. The chair had stopped rocking. All was quiet. She stood up slowly, the motion making her suddenly lightheaded. She fought the dizziness, putting a hand up to her forehead, feeling the warm liquid and wiping it onto her hand. She'd lost a lot of blood, and now the wound was open again. She didn't know how long she could go like this. Pushing off the wall, she headed for the archway opposite her, not daring to glance at the vanity tipped over next to her. As she passed by the closet, she saw the darkened, ancient bones spilling out the doorway, and more piled inside. Though the mass of flesh and blood conjured from her subconscious had been terrifying, the reality, if it really was reality this time, was still unnerving. Had the person living here killed all these people? The skulls and bones were human in shape, but disproportionately small, and it brought to mind the tiny mummified corpses on the crosses in the other room.

Daniella stepped over them, feeling a small piece of glass dig into the sole of her bare foot and breathing in sharply. The pain was almost welcome, for she knew it to be real. Though her eyes and ears were deceitful, she could trust the pain not to lie to her, and keep her anchored in the physical world. She walked toward the archway, which led into a dark, oppressive stone hallway with an identical archway at the end. Daniella entered the hall, noticing that the archway at the end was surrounded by a pale blue halo. Comforting moonlight shone on the other side, and she stepped through into a spacious, vaulted chapel.

The chapel was not as big as the ballroom, but the architecture was beautiful. Stone arches lined the walls on both sides of her, creating enclosed hallways that ran the length of the room. Inside these arches were murals, all with that same crude, unfinished style that she had seen in the bedchamber. The paintings were of biblical events, some that Daniella recognized: The sermon on the mount, the last supper, Christ walking on water. In each one, Christ's face had been left unpainted, the dark stone showing through. High above her, a gaping hole had seemingly been punched through the roof, casting a circle of pale light in front of her. Ahead of her, an aisle led between two rows of pews, then a short stairway led up to a raised platform.

In the middle of this was a decorated wooden altar, adorned with fine cloth and beads that glimmered in the moonlight. On the altar were placed two tall candles in elegant holders, and still-burning incense that lent the air a pleasing aroma. On the ground around it was a dense circle of smaller candles, all lit and unmelted, as though they'd just been placed. Four pillars raised from the corners of the altar, and formed into a decorative canopy above it, like the roof of a cathedral. Atop this canopy was perched a single round pane of glass, rimmed by a gold border. Tall candelabra lined the walls behind the altar. The many burning flames created an intense yellow glow at the front of the chapel, and Daniella was drawn to it. The most impressive part, though, was the sculpture work behind the altar. A magnificent work of art, the great bronze sculpt depicted three soaring winged angels, palms turned up in supplication, flying around a crucifix high above on which Christ was hung. Behind the crucifix, an ornate circular rose window shone brightly, the radiant full moon visible through the glass. The window was set into the concave back wall, which consisted of tall, elegant arches and smaller sculptures of saints set into the walls above them.

Stricken by such beauty, Daniella began to walk faster toward the altar, wanting to feel the wood and the heat of the candles and know that it wasn't all just a resplendent illusion. As Daniella approached the altar, she noticed that there was a hollowed-out space in the front of it, near the bottom. She stared at it through the hanging beads, and she could see that four small cloth pouches were stored there, perhaps containing some kind of ceremonial substances... then she saw the inscription carved into the wood behind them. THE FOUR SACRED FLAMES OF THE ALCHEMICAL ELEMENTS SHINE THE WAY TO IMMORTALITY. MAY HE WHO USES THEM WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE BURN IN THE ETERNAL FIRE. More alchemy. Her family's only legacy, one she wanted nothing to do with. Ignoring it, she ascended the stairway to the platform, and stood in front of the altar. A profound serenity suddenly overcame her, though she could not begin to fathom why, and for a brief moment all her stress and fear melted away. She dragged her fingers across the dusty cloth atop it, sighing. It was substantive, absolute.

And wet.

She looked down at the cloth, seeing the dark stains slowly expanding across the material. _What... _Daniella lifted one end of the cloth, folding it over itself, feeling the all-too-familiar pit in her stomach. Puddles of blood seemed to be welling up from the wood, and voices whispered that it was the blood of countless sacrifices. Daniella knew the signs by now, she felt it all slipping away again, faster, more intensely than before. She wouldn't be able to hold on this time.

"No... please, god, not again. Help me. Help me!"

She implored the angelic observers, but they remained still and silent, reveling in her torment. A dark cloud passed in front of the moon.

_Drip._

She heard the sound again, and covered her ears, trying to make it stop. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a shadow standing in the entranceway and retreated behind the altar, her breath coming hard and fast. She mumbled incoherently.

_Drip._

The drop fell onto her cheek, and she touched it with her hand, unbelieving. Staring upward, she saw the colossal statue of Christ suspended far above her. Blood streamed down the bronze face from beneath the crown of thorns on his head. It trickled down the chin and fell in black beads.

_Drip._

This one fell onto Daniella's chest, and she cried out, running out from underneath it. A sudden breath doused the candles in the candelabra behind her, leaving only the ones near the altar. Their light was shifting from yellow to a hostile red. Daniella cast a terrified glance toward the entrance, seeing the figure standing closer, in the middle of the aisle.

_Drip._

Another sudden gust, and the rest of the candles went out, but for a single one in front of the altar. Darkness consumed Daniella, and she fell to the floor, sobbing. The sounds of writhing bodies came from every direction.

"No..."

Looking up, she saw the shadowy interloper standing over her, the silhouette that of a woman in a flowing dress. Daniella backed into the altar and curled up against it, whimpering and helpless. She knew who stood in front of her. She grabbed the only candle still lit, which glowed with an unnatural red light, and lifted it to the face with a shaking hand. She once again looked upon her death. The woman reached out with bleeding hands and grabbed Daniella by the shoulders, pulling her to her feet. Daniella couldn't will herself to resist. The apparition brought her dead face close, forcing Daniella to look into the empty, listless eyes. Blue lips expelled a cold breath, taking the last of the light from the world.

Daniella felt Leana's arms wrap around her, dragging her out of existence and into the dark abyss.


	37. Sleepwalker

**Sleepwalker**

"... day... out... you hate so..."

Fragments of a sentence penetrated the silence. All was dark. Daniella had no eyes with which to see, and no ears with which to hear, but the words reached her all the same. It was a man's voice, one she knew, and it was slowly growing louder.

"... don't need to worry anymore... enough... to prepare. It is time."

Footsteps approached, and a hand waved away the darkness in front of her, as if it were a thick cloud of smoke. Daniella saw the silhouette of a man, dressed in finery. Though she had never seen this man before, the sight of him struck fear into her heart... but she realized that deep inside, she knew why. She felt the presence of her ancestor, and it was as if a great curtain in her mind had been lifted. She could recall the memories all so clearly now, her entire life suddenly rushing back to her. The beauty and innocence of her youth, her life as an alchemist's wife, the castle and the house in the lake, Aureolus' terrifying transformation and the bitter sense of loss and regret that followed, and finally her devolution into obsession and hysteria... everything Daniella had ever sought to know about herself, it was all there. Her head spun as she tried to comprehend all of the revelations, all at once. But there was no time... he was approaching... she wanted to run, but she had no legs, no body. The shadow drew closer, and as it did, the black smog drifted off of him.

"It is out of my hands, Leana. Things have been set in motion today that will change the world. You and I are a part of that change. Today, we realize our destiny."

The face, aged and pale, was familiar to Daniella. In it, she saw a brother and a husband. But she didn't want him to be here. Not now. Not ever. _Get away from me. _She thought it, but could not say it. He reached out and grabbed her arm, which materialized out of the black fog as though it had been there all along. He pushed her forward, and physical form manifested from darkness. Daniella's body appeared beneath her, and though she had been one with the void a moment ago, she was now human, and she could move, feel, and breathe. As soon as she was aware of herself, she acted on her base instinct and struggled to free herself from the man's grasp. He grabbed her around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides and marching her onward into the darkness.

"This is why you stayed in the garden. Never obedient, as a wife should be, always fighting me. It's the only way to deal with someone like you. You've had a long time to regret your defiance, haven't you? Tell me, do you still think it was worth it, trying to escape? Hm? How about sleeping with that slave behind my back?"

Daniella fought to free herself, but he was exceptionally strong for such an old man, and her feet dragged uselessly against the ground as he forced her toward their destination. She saw faint hints of stone walls in the swirling shadows around her, and an eerie green glow had begun to penetrate the darkness in front of her. She heard an unearthly moaning coming from somewhere far away. A sense of impending doom grew in her chest as the green light became brighter, and her struggles grew more desperate.

"You're the devil!" she yelled, powerless and afraid. "You can't do this to me!"

He stopped, wrenching her around roughly, twisting her arms and eliciting a cry of pain. She saw a depravity in his eyes shaped by years of total isolation and perverse science.

"You couldn't possibly understand the importance of the rite. You don't even deserve to be a part of it, nothing you've ever done has made you worthy of the great honor I bestow upon you now. You were never anything but a harlot and a fool... which is why tonight is so liberating for me."

He leaned in close to her ear. Daniella felt his warm breath pass through her hair as he whispered the next words.

"For once, you're right to fear me. Tonight you die, Leana Belli."

She heard the conviction in his voice, the sick pleasure. He wasn't making an idle threat. Turning her back around, strong arms pushed her forward once more. She was frantic now, summoning all the strength she had to try and escape the terrible fate he envisioned for her.

"No... NO!"

Daniella kicked his leg and hit him with the back of her head. Pulling free of his grasp, there was a moment when she thought she might escape, and her heart leapt... but as she turned to look at him, she saw him swinging, his fist exploding in a blinding, unnatural blue fire. He hit her in the stomach, and she fell to the ground, the intense, burning pain completely incapacitating her. Her insides felt like they were melting. He stood above her, his eyes laughing.

"What did you think was going to happen, my dear?"

She wailed in agony as he dragged her upright once again, continuing to advance toward the green light.

"You know what I'm capable of. You know resistance only causes you pain."

Daniella opened her eyes, the source of the light breaching through the parting mists. A large tank, a horrific fusion of iron and glass. It was closed and glowing brightly with an unearthly light, the bubbled glass revealing the vibrant green fluid inside. The tank was connected to various funnels and receptacles via tubes and pipes snaking across the floor and up the wall. It reminded her of a feeding system she'd seen for livestock... and suddenly, it dawned on her. Looking closer at the tank, she saw the occupant inside. The shape was that of a human, not fully grown, somewhere between the stages of infancy and childhood. A tangled mass of dark tubes was visible inside, conjoined with the child's body.

"You recognize her, don't you?"

Daniella looked upon the small, frail form with horror. Yes, she knew. She remembered the experiments, the blood and animal cages... lying on the table, staring at the ceiling... blood infused with mandragora extract, then extracted, flesh torn from her bones. The promise of a clone. She began shaking her head, mouth agape, and heard him exhale in satisfaction.

"Yes. She is your exact biological copy, but for one difference. When she awakens, she will be... the perfect woman. My panacea, my magnum opus." He drew in a deep breath with an excited unsteadiness. "The perfect woman." He let the breath out, tightening his grip on her arms. "She will be everything you never were."

_No,_ Daniella wanted to say, _she's a victim, just like me._ The body, her body, floated in the tank, unaware of its own profane existence, helpless to change its dark and heretical purpose. Her life would be ruined, all over again.

"The Azoth you impart to her now will, over hundreds of years, compound itself and grow stronger. One day, when she is pure and the life within her burns bright as the four flames, she will finally awaken. And on that glorious day, so too shall I awaken, and together we will realize the Great Truth. We will transcend the prison of our preconceived world, and the binds of genetics and even death will be lifted...we will be as gods."

None of it made any sense to her. The language he used was cryptic and foreboding. His delusions of grandeur had consumed any moral fibre or reverence he may have once had, and his warped perception of such high concepts was alarming to her. If what he said was true... such blatant disregard for the natural order... to even speak that kind of blasphemy was cause for death in this country. To put man on the level of god was to provoke the wrath of heaven. She knew. The bible had been all that filled the gaping hole in her life after he'd locked her up. She spat on the ground in contempt.

"You'll regret all of this madness when you feel the swift judgment of the Lord. You'll burn in hell, Aureolus."

"And _you'll_ be taking that dogmatic idealism of yours to the grave," he said, scoffing. "I hope, if you see your god tonight, he's everything you imagined."

He shoved her roughly forward again, but did not steer her in the direction of the tank. Instead, he forced her to the side, and another object arose from the darkness. Daniella saw a large, round hole cut into the floor, smooth and bowl-shaped, with four rivets cut equally spaced around the perimeter, leading to a depression at the bottom. Above this hung two ropes, disappearing into the darkness above, and below two more lay slack on the ground, tied to anchors on either side of the bowl. Daniella's mind was paralyzed with fear, trying to figure out what this was used for, what he would do to her. He forced her to the edge of the bowl, then grabbed her arm, his nails digging into her skin as she felt the rough texture of one of the hanging ropes rubbing against her skin.

Though she tried to stay defiant, Daniella couldn't quell the growing panic inside her. This was the end. She would die in here. She started shaking, and when she felt the knot tighten around her arm, she broke down. Making one last half-hearted struggle, she pleaded with her husband, feeling hot tears stream down her face.

"No! No, brother, I don't want to die! Please, don't make me do this! Please!"

It was then that she saw the most sickening smile spread across his aged face. No remorse, no pity. Only spiteful triumph. He threw her over the edge, and she screamed as she hung painfully by her arm, watching him cross to the other side. He reached out and grabbed her other arm, easily overpowering her feeble attempts to fight him off, and he tied the other hanging rope around her wrist. Her fate was sealed. It couldn't end like this. Not like this...

She kicked her legs, resisting the tourniquet that she knew she couldn't escape. Aureolus had no trouble catching her seizing legs and securing the last two ropes, and she felt a terrifying finality in the last knot constricting around her ankle. Daniella found herself spread four ways over the vessel, her stomach churning as she felt she'd been in this position before, in a different life. She looked on as he circled around to one side of her, all the while watching her with that horrific smile on his face. He approached a hand crank with a large spool of rope attached, the end of which rose high into the mist above her, and he swiftly and suddenly turned it one full rotation. The ropes on Daniella's arms pulled in opposite directions.

She cried out, gritting her teeth as she felt the tension increase. He paused, delighting in her distress, then cranked it again, and again, until her arms and legs were fully extended, stretched to the point of acute pain in her sockets. She howled in agony, knowing that any more force would dislocate her limbs. His hands lingered on the handle for a long time as he listened to her tortured whimpers, taking them in as one would a pleasing piece of music.

"Don't cry, my beauty." She heard the sardonic, mocking voice over her suffering cries. "It's almost over."

She watched in helpless dread as she saw him release the crank, reaching into his robes and producing an elongated, cloth-covered object. He unwrapped it with the utmost care, finally revealing a sharp, decorative knife, made of a striking green jade. His eyes went from the knife to Daniella, slowly climbing her body and locking his gaze with hers. She saw only murder there. Though she was terrified beyond words, she did not struggle. She knew there was nothing more she could do. It was time for her to leave this world. She began to recite a verse under her breath, one she knew by heart.

"Never again will I hunger; never again will I thirst. The sun will not beat upon me, nor any scorching heat."

Though her eyes were closed, she heard his footsteps approaching her. She squeezed them shut more tightly, continuing the rote passage, speaking it louder.

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be my shepherd; he will lead me to springs of living water." The footsteps stopped just in front of her. She heard him breathing deeply, refused to look, prepared at any moment for the intense pain that would take her into oblivion. Feeling the edge of the blade press against her neck, she took her last breath, held it in. Aureolus spoke into her ear in a heavy undertone, the sarcasm gone from his voice.

"Know that your essence lives on in immortality, and that your blood fuels the greatest cause in our history. Goodbye, Leana."

She expelled the breath, whispering the last of her prayer.

"And God will wipe away every tear from my eyes."

The sharp edge pressed deeply into her skin, but did not puncture her flesh. There it remained for several excruciating seconds, hesitating, stalling. Even now, in her last moments, he made a mockery of her. Daniella could take it no longer. She thrashed violently, wanting nothing more than for this horrible suspense to be over. She yelled, furious and ashamed, urging a conclusion.

"No! No, no!"

As she lashed out with her arms and legs, Daniella realized, in utter disbelief, that they were free. She felt a hard surface underneath her back, and her eyes flicked open. She gazed deep into familiar dead eyes as she felt her soul come to rest in her own body once more. She felt as though she had just awoken from a deep sleep, and she was lost in confusion as she settled back into reality, trying to understand where she was.

The bloody phantom that had once been Leana Belli held a long, jagged shard of glass to Daniella's throat, in the same spot that the knife had been, and she pressed down on her chest with the other hand. Daniella stared up at the elaborate canopy above her, pale blue light kissing the edges. She was back in the chapel, lying on the altar. The dead woman pressed harder on her ribcage, ready to draw the crystalline blade across her neck. Even in death, she was beautiful. Daniella looked upon her pale skin and faded eyes, no longer scared, feeling nothing but guilt. She pleaded in repentance, deeply moved by what she'd just experienced, knowing herself to be the girl in the tank, the cause of the other's ruin and loss.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... everything that happened to you, I never knew... I never wanted this. I never wanted any of it!"

She saw the corners of the woman's blue lips twitch into a smile. Daniella didn't know if she was even being heard, and had long ago abandoned the question of whether the ghoul before her was real or an illusion of her mind. It didn't particularly matter to her. This wasn't just a physical encounter with a ghost... it was an inner struggle as well, and one she desperately needed to see to its end. She whispered a final plea, feeling that even if she were killed here on this altar, it would still be too good for her.

"Please forgive me."

She heard Leana expelling sharp, fast breaths, almost as though she were trying to laugh. She felt the blade against her neck begin to twitch and flutter across her skin. Leana's breaths began to catch in her throat, becoming guttural clucking sounds, almost like she was choking. Daniella gripped the cloth on the altar beneath her, unsure what was happening to her. Leana's whole body began to convulse, and finally her hand released the blade, going instead to her own throat where blood was suddenly pouring copiously from her sliced neck. Daniella heard the shard of glass clatter harmlessly to the floor beneath her, but barely noticed, watching the woman standing over her with a kind of horrible fascination. Spasms racked Leana's entire body, and those noises she was making were terrible to hear. And the blood... so much blood. Daniella urged herself to action, preparing to roll off of the altar and leave this atrocious scene for she could take no more of it, when she saw Leana's blue tongue protrude from her mouth and her vacant eyes roll back into her head. With one last strangled choke, her head slid from her shoulders.

With an unconscious detachment, her mind still trying to interpret what she was seeing, Daniella caught the severed head in her hands. She looked down upon it with bewildered repugnance, hearing the body fall to the floor beside her. Blood trickled freely from the hole in the neck like water from a sponge. The brittle hair and stretched skin underneath her fingers felt so wrong, so long divorced from life... Daniella trembled, wanting to drop it, to throw it from her but finding herself unable to. It was all so _wrong_. A moment passed, and abruptly, the eyelids snapped open once more, revealing the whites of the eyes and the red veins that spread across them like clutching hands.

Daniella screamed, dropping the head and leaping from the altar, landing on her knees on the dusty rug below. The head landed upright on the altar, the white, rolled-back eyes staring toward her, and Daniella hastened to her feet, backing away from it. _Is she still alive? Did I do that to her? Somebody... somebody tell me what's going on! _Daniella reached up with her right hand, touching the spot where the knife, then the glass, had rested against her neck. The skin was smooth and untouched. She would have sighed with relief if she weren't so terrified. She'd been so certain she was going to die... Suddenly, she froze, her hand still touching her neck as she saw the lucid lips on the disembodied head begin to move.

"You need not fear me. I cannot spill your blood."

The voice was a hissing, otherworldly echo, as though many voices were speaking in unison. Daniella's heart skipped a beat. She was being addressed by the undead. She didn't know what to think, what to do, so she stood silently, unmoving, unbreathing.

"I am but a shade. When you bleed, it is my blood that pours from your wounds. When you cease to exist, so too shall I."

Daniella recalled Fendari's words. _You are one in the same. _It fell into place. The voice speaking now was as much a part of Daniella as her own. It came from deep within her, from a place once locked behind an impenetrable barrier. But the way was open now, the door standing wide. She finally knew herself, and the woman she had once been. Her fear evaporated. Though the dead visage was chilling, she knew then that Leana Belli could not harm her. The apparition on the altar before her was merely an extension of herself.

Daniella stood straighter, apprehension replaced by awe. She stared around the moonlit chapel, beginning to understand why the hallucinations were the strongest here, why she'd felt that sense of familiarity with this area.

"You were kept here for a very long time," she said finally, looking back toward the altar.

Leana did not respond. The scrawls on the walls and windows, the great, terrifying effigy, the unsettling paintings... they were all outlets for the pain and suffering of long years, confined in this place by her tyrant of a husband. Her mind had slowly fallen apart in here, and eventually she had only one thing left to cling to. God. Her last refuge against the encroaching insanity. But those crucified bodies, and the bones in the closet...

"The failures." The ethereal voice spoke again. "Those not deemed worthy of Aureolus' legacy."

Daniella drew on the new memory, placing herself in Leana's body. Yes, she remembered clearly... they were her only company in this place, the only company he'd ever allowed her. She cared for them so, coming to know them as her children... but most died within days of arriving. She recalled piling the tiny bodies in the closet, each death taking a piece of her soul until there was barely anything left. The crosses were constructed for the four that had stayed with her the longest, but even they hadn't lasted more than a year, their incomplete bodies unable to support themselves. She'd crucified them after they died, to bring them closer to God, to signify their struggle and unite them with his love. Daniella felt tears well up in her eyes. The memory held such bitter sadness for her. Her whole life in the garden, nothing but bitter sadness.

"And death was your only escape."

Daniella whispered this, finally knowing the fate of Leana Belli. She had only to look upon the mangled corpse in front of her to know what Aureolus had done to her in that dark place. He had drained her lifeblood, and it had manifested itself inside Daniella. For the first time, she could feel the Azoth in her veins, and she knew herself to be more than just a clone. A brilliant life pulsed through her, one carefully cultivated and perfected. And it was a life she would have given up in an instant, for it had brought her nothing but suffering. The voice of the dead broke into her thoughts once more.

"Time is running out."

The ambiguous comment caught Daniella off guard, and she stared back toward the head still sitting on the altar, its white eyes and expressionless lips giving no hints as to the statement's meaning.

"What?" Daniella asked, an uneasy feeling materializing in her stomach. "Time until what?"

The mouth opened once more, as if to speak, but a low, strangled wail was all that emerged. The mouth opened and closed reflexively, but no further sound came out. In disbelief, Daniella saw the skin around the cross in her forehead beginning to peel away, slowly revealing the red-stained skull underneath. She watched the phantasm unraveling, suddenly spurred to action. It couldn't end yet. She needed to know more.

"No, wait!" Daniella cried in desperation as the flesh stripped itself away, hanging off Leana's face. "What am I supposed to do? Tell me!"

The woman's forehead was now a blood-smeared plate of dark bone, the speed of her decomposition increasing. She was attempting to speak, her voice seemingly breaking apart, the many echoes now fighting each other and barely coherent.

"Your awakening... the Great Truth... you have seen..."

The disjointed expressions were all Daniella could make out. Though her instincts told her to stay away from the horrifying spectacle, she moved closer, trying to understand. Suddenly, Leana cried out, the single word plainly audible and full of enmity.

"Aureolus!"

She was going fast. The skin around her eyes slid from her skull, revealing the blackened bone beneath. The headless body, beside the altar, was falling apart in much the same way. Everything about it was sickeningly real, and Daniella unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand. Leana's eyes rolled in their sockets as she tried to say more, gagging on her own blood.

"Light... sacred flames... Go to the well... find Mercury... my legacy..."

Daniella heard a haunting moan escape her lips as the skin fell away completely, leaving her a blood-soaked skeleton. Her eyes seemed to boil in their sockets, white humour bubbling up from inside as they deflated in an awful display. Daniella felt her insides heaving. It was all absolutely appalling, and she felt it tearing away at her sanity. The abhorrent zombie opened its mouth one last time, the jawbone moving on its own as its muscle rotted away. The disordered voice was now terrifyingly baleful, and it spoke in words Daniella did not understand.

"Quid dereliquisti me? Est non pastor hic..."

The vertebrae beneath it crumbled away, and the black skull rolled onto its side, hissing a last breath somehow, as it broke apart. Daniella watched Leana's remains disintegrate into dust in a matter of seconds, the ashes swept away by the wind of another world. Soon, there was nothing left. The body was gone as well, leaving no trace of its existence. Daniella let out a shivering breath, shaking her head. She knew that Leana Belli's physical body had decayed long ago. Everything Daniella had seen and experienced in this deserted wing of the mansion... she knew now that it all came from within, the essence of her past self finally reaching across the great divide and touching her, showing her the life she had inherited. The terror she'd felt was the same terror that Leana had endured ages ago, the blood and decay a metaphor for her unending suffering. But it was over now, she could feel it in her soul. All had been revealed to her, and the walking corpse had fulfilled its purpose. Daniella knew herself to be completely and profoundly changed from the girl who had walked through those padlocked doors. She felt a lifetime of pain weighing on her shoulders.

Shaken, Daniella closed her eyes, focused on recovering from her spiritual journey. She knew... she knew everything. Decades of new memories flooded her mind, shedding light on all her questions. She knew why Leana Belli had looked so cold and lifeless in the portraits and sculptures. She knew why Fendari had such strong feelings for her. She knew why Riccardo and Leonardo had seemed so familiar to her, not only in their looks but in their manner. The only thing she didn't know was why she had been created. To realize the "Great Truth", Aureolus had said. She'd seen that phrase before in the courtyard, heard Fendari spit it with the utmost contempt. Aureolus spoke of transcending genetics, escaping preconception... What it meant, she did not know. And she didn't plan to stay and find out. She finally opened her eyes, having a better grasp of herself and her situation. She had to get back to the mansion outside the black doors of her prison. Knowing what had happened to her in these halls made every moment she spent in here a trial of remembered torment.

Daniella approached the altar once more, prepared to carry out Leana's final wish.


	38. The Four Flames

**The Four Flames**

In Leana's last words to her, or the last ones Daniella could understand, she had mentioned sacred flames, and the well. Daniella crouched down, reading the inscription in the hollow of the altar once more. THE FOUR SACRED FLAMES OF THE ALCHEMICAL ELEMENTS SHINE THE WAY TO IMMORTALITY. MAY HE WHO USES THEM WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE BURN IN THE ETERNAL FIRE. Whatever she'd been talking about, Daniella had the feeling that this was the key to it. She reached in, grabbing all four of the small cloth pouches inside and bringing them into the light. They felt like they were filled with sand or gravel. Each one was tied off at the top with string, and had the name of an element written on it in faded ink. Water, Air, Earth, Fire. Daniella was reminded of the puzzle in the library, with the spinning globe and the Latin words, which also had to do with elements... but what was she supposed to do with these? She untied the string on the pouch marked _Fire_, looking inside and recognizing the familiar stench... sulphur. But when she looked in, she did not see the yellowish color she was expecting, the pouch instead containing a deep red powder. Perhaps it had been transmuted...

Daniella realized in astonishment that 'transmuted' was a word she'd never used before, a concept she hadn't learned, and yet somehow she knew what it meant. It was just a small piece of the huge library of knowledge and experience that her progenitor had passed on to her. _This is going to take a long time to get used to_, she thought as she tied the string back around the pouch. It felt like there were now two distinct people living inside her mind, but she knew better. They were the same. Her eyes scanned the chapel, looking for anything that stood out, any sign of flames, but there were none. The candles, lit by the ghost of her subconscious, were gone. She walked around the altar, examining it for any other compartments, with no success. Finally, she walked behind it, looking up at the great work of art there.

The brass sculpture was no longer stained with blood, and it towered above her, grandiose and monumental. The giant statue of Christ on the cross in the center looked down upon her, the eyes reflecting a touching sorrow, and the angels soaring around him were all staring upwards, arms outstretched, in devotion to their god. Each one had their hands raised with palms facing upward, and each set of hands held a round pane of glass with a gold border... just like the one she'd seen atop the canopy over the altar. The moonlight made the whole thing look like it was glowing with some sort of heavenly radiance. It was beautiful. She reached out, touching the metal at the sculpture's base, when she noticed a plaque in front of her, set into the base of the cross. She leaned in, reading the inscription.

Gabriel's horn to end the earth,

Michael's sword in the air rallies God's might,

Raphael's staff to yield new birth,

And the red flame shall bring forth holy light.

Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael... she recognized those names. They were three of the seven archangels at the right hand of god. _Or so Leana had so devoutly believed... _Daniella did not. If she had ever been sure of anything, she was sure there was no god. She had begged and pleaded that some higher power would deliver her from this nightmare, scraped her knees on the cold ground in prayer, screamed for god to help her when she was at the end of her rope. She had been violated, abused, and ruined, and each time she held out hope that things would get better, that some benevolent overseer would take notice and have mercy. But there was nobody. Nobody to save her, nobody to blame. She was alone. Staring up, she noticed now the accessories each angel carried. The highest had a horn hanging at his waist, the second highest a sword in a sheath, and the one closest to her a long staff, with a large fish on the end of a line held in his left hand. So she knew their identities, but... did it have anything to do with these sacred flames of alchemy? The last line had mentioned a red flame. Daniella looked again at the inscription, trying to glean anything else she could from it. She read it over and over, beginning to get frustrated... when certain words suddenly caught her interest. _Earth. Air. Flame._ The alchemical elements. The only one missing was water.

_So, then... maybe the elements correspond to the angels, _Daniella thought as she examined the four cloth pouches. Earth was mentioned in the same line as Gabriel, air in the same line as Michael, and while the inscription did not specify an element when speaking of Raphael, the last line referenced fire, which meant that Raphael's element had to be water. _And that would make sense, _she thought as she stared up at the angel, holding the fishing line. She thought about her logic for a moment, trying to decide if it was sound. It did seem a bit of a stretch, and it was entirely possible that the mentions of earth, air and fire in the inscription was mere coincidence... but she didn't think so, not after all the inference and subtlety of the other cryptic, mind-bending puzzles she'd seen in this house.

_So what now, _Daniella wondered as she stared up at them. If these pouches matched up with the angels, what was she to do with them? She began to get an uneasy feeling as she looked again at the glass panes held by each of the three. She'd known the answer before she even asked the question. She had to go up there. It was obvious that the glass had some kind of functionality, since the three gold-rimmed panes stood out from the dark brass of the rest of the monument. Staring up the topography of the sculpture, she noticed few defined footholds. She could potentially climb up the folds in the long, flowing robes of the angels, which fell all the way down to her level to support the base of the statue, but the climb would be slippery and precarious. There was no other way up, or so it seemed, so finally she accepted the fact that she had no choice.

Gripping the cold metal of one of the sculpted folds, she pulled her legs up onto the small ledge, reaching up and grabbing hold of the next one. Slowly, she made her way up toward the top. Even the closest angel to the bottom was high up on the cross, so Daniella took it slowly, only stepping onto a foothold when she knew there would be enough space for her to stand. She tried not to look down, but every time she caught a glimpse of the floor, getting further and further away, she had to take a moment to cling closely to the sheer face and catch her breath. Fortunately, it was not as slippery as it had first appeared, and as she got closer to the top her will became bolstered by confidence. By now she had climbed higher than the canopy above the altar, which was close enough to the sculpture for her to step onto, but she kept ascending toward the first angel, Raphael. Another leg-up and her hands found the spacious ledge of the angel's main body. With one last heave, she lifted herself over the top and stood eye-level with the statue.

She took a quick glance out at the chapel, which immediately made her dizzy and nervous. Turning toward Raphael, she climbed atop his head and examined the object he held in his right hand. There was the circle of glass, which she could now see was thick and curved like the lens she'd found in the mines, but that wasn't all. Behind it was a small, shallow basin, which was made of a reflective mirror-like glass that Daniella could see her face in, which itself was attached to some kind of striking hammer holding a piece of flint. The mechanism made her think of Riccardo's gun. _So the hammer makes a spark, _she deduced, _igniting the material in the basin. _Cautiously, she sifted through her pocket until she had found the pouch marked _Water_.

She carefully opened the pouch, but hesitated before pouring it in, the vague warning on the inscription running through her mind. _MAY HE WHO USES THEM WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE BURN IN THE ETERNAL FIRE._ What would happen to her if she was wrong? Was it a threat of physical harm, or just a religious conviction? Daniella took a deep breath. She'd dealt with foreboding portents like this before, but each time she had to steel herself for the potential consequences, and each time it tested her faith in herself. This was right. She could feel it. She decisively overturned the pouch and emptied its contents into the basin, the powder in this one a dark blue color, also reeking of sulphur. With that all-too-familiar feeling of doubt_,_she pulled back the hammer and released it.

As soon as the hammer struck, sparks flew into the powder, which was slow to react. The places where the sparks had landed began to flicker with a blue light, which spread to the rest of the material over the next few seconds. Soon, the entirety of the basin was alight with a dazzling blue fire, which continued to grow in size until Daniella was unable to stand next to it due to the intense heat it was giving off. As she climbed back down to the angel's body, she noticed that the light given off by the fire was hitting the lens in front of it, which focused it into a bright, almost opaque blue beam, ending atop the altar canopy. It hit a similar, highly reflective basin there, then bounced into the lens on the canopy, which in turn concentrated the beam further, and sent it high, out the gaping hole in the chapel's ceiling Daniella had noticed upon entering. From this angle she could see that the blue beam streamed into the night sky toward a tower in the distance... the same tower, she realized, where she'd looked out the telescope... the place where Fendari had started coming after her. The memory sent a chill up her spine. The beam became weak over the long distance, and it did not appear to reach the tower.

She was finally beginning to understand. If she lit the three flames in the angels' hands, then a fourth in front of the final lens... the light would be bright and strong, it would reach the tower... and then, hopefully, something meaningful would happen. Daniella couldn't tell where all this was going, but it was obviously important. She remembered the conviction and purpose when Leana had told her. _Find Mercury. My legacy. _Daniella hadn't the slightest suspicion of what she was referring to, 'Mercury' having no meaning to her outside of alchemy... but maybe it was just a pseudonym for something with a deeper meaning. After everything she'd learned here about alchemy, Daniella had begun to realize that the core ideals of the discipline were as much allegory as they were science.

Taking a deep breath, Daniella continued her perilous climb, which entailed crossing to the other side of the cross to reach the next angel. She was able to do this without too much difficulty, as the sculpted cloth was now thick and rife with broad folds that she could use to climb on. Carefully, she crossed the gap from one brass robe to the other, and continued up the complicated contours of the sculpture. She did not dare look down from here, as her proximity to the ceiling was now closing rapidly. With a grunt, she pulled herself onto Michael's shoulder, catching her breath and peering over the top of his outstretched hands. The mechanism here appeared identical to the last, and Daniella confidently extracted the _Air _pouch from her pocket.

She untied the string with her teeth, using one hand to hold onto the arm of the statue so she felt a little safer up here, and poured the powder into the basin. This stuff appeared to be ordinary sulphur, the powder a familiar yellow-green color. Gritting her teeth nervously, she struck the flint hammer. The same reaction ensued, the flame slowly engulfing the contents of the dish, but this time the fire was a natural yellow-orange. She stepped back from the flame as it heated up, watching the first lens concentrate its light into a powerful streak. When it reached the altar canopy lens, it combined with the blue light and together the two made a greenish beam that was obviously stronger than before. She saw it reach the far-off tower through the hole in the ceiling, bouncing off a large reflector atop the tower's roof she hadn't seen before. It seemed to be bouncing the light back toward her... but it was still too weak to tell. She had to light the rest.

Daniella set off again, ascending higher, toward the last angel, Gabriel. However, she could tell this was going to be trickier than before. She had to cross to the other side of the crucifix once again, but now she was high enough that the legs of the looming statue of Christ were between her and her destination. If she was to make it over there, she would have to do some risky maneuvering. She tiptoed to the edge of Michael's robe, the broad chasm between her and the other side opening up beneath her. She stepped back, pressing her back against the cool bronze, breathing heavily. If she fell, it would be all the way to the floor. It was not a fall somebody could survive. The only way she could cross would be to make a leap of faith and grab onto one of the massive legs in front of her. She looked up at the face of Christ, his expression now appearing ominous and judging to her, looking upon her with doubt and draining her of confidence. _I can't do this, _she thought as she imagined plummeting to the ground below. So close to the end, and she couldn't bring herself to continue.

_No, no, no. I'm not giving up now, not after all this. _Once again, her faith in herself was being tested, and to give up now would be to give up on everything she'd accomplished. Turning back had long ago ceased to be an option for her. _Get out of this place or die trying, remember? _She allowed herself an anxious chuckle as she peeled herself from the metal, facing the dangerous crossing once more. She gripped the cloth of the bloody, sweaty gown she wore, mentally preparing herself for the jump. Her eyes were locked onto the hanging ankle in front of her. All she had to do was grab onto it, and the angled foot would provide enough resistance to keep her from falling. _One chance. Now or never._ With a sudden burst of speed and adrenaline, she took two running steps and leapt over the edge.

There was a moment of horrifying weightlessness as she hung over nothing but thin air, then she slammed bodily into the smooth trunk of the leg, wrapping her arms around it and squeezing desperately, sliding down and unable to prevent it. Finally, she felt the giant foot underneath her, stopping her descent. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, clinging to the statue for dear life. She didn't want to move, knowing that a few feet of metal was all that stood between her and the last fall she'd ever take. Her legs dangled above the pit, suspended in empty space. Finally, through a great effort of will, Daniella heaved herself upward, bringing her legs around and raising her feet onto the uncertain expanse of the statue's foot. Still keeping the leg in a vise grip, she put as much weight as she dared onto her feet, standing precariously on the slanted surface.

Looking nervously ahead, Daniella was relieved to see that the hardest part was behind her. The other leg was close enough for her to touch, and from there Gabriel's robe was within stepping distance. If she kept her wits about her, she wouldn't have any trouble. It was building up the courage to do it that was the hard part. She exhaled determinedly, inwardly cursing herself for her cowardice. _Just do it. _Transferring her weight, she kept one hand wrapped around the right leg, with her other reaching out for the left. She touched the metal with her fingers, her body now suspended over the pit beneath her. Finally, she pushed herself off, grabbing the leg with her other hand. As she brought her legs onto the left foot of the statue, there was a brief flash of panic as one of her feet slipped off the polished surface, but she held on tightly and kept her balance. She stood still on the hanging leg, trembling.

Desperate to get the horribly tense crossing over with, one foot stepped gingerly onto the robe next to her and felt the relieving flat surface of the folds once again. In one fluid motion, she released the leg and launched herself onto Gabriel's voluminous robe, transferring herself to relative safety. Letting out her breath, Daniella wiped her forehead with an unsteady hand. That was not something she ever wanted to do again. She would find a different way down. Shaken, but feeling more assured, she began the final climb toward Gabriel's skyward-reaching hands. After what she'd been through, the ascent was relatively stress-free. She kept her eyes on the metal directly in front of her, looking neither up nor down, which helped tremendously. Finally, she felt the bulk of the angel's body beneath her feet, and relief freed her heart from the weight that had been pulling it down.

Allowing herself a glance at the chapel beyond, she saw that it was even more beautiful from up here, all of the architecture and elegance visible from this vantage point. It still made her queasy, though, so she focused on the task at hand. Treading carefully up the slope of the angel's body, she finally faced the last lens. Reaching into the pocket once again, she took out one of the two remaining pouches in her possession, the one marked _Earth. _She observed the dark green powder as she overturned the pouch into the basin. As before, she pulled back the hammer and released, sending sparks flying into the sulphurous substance.

Within moments, it too was alight with a dazzling flame, a bright green that reflected off the bronze of the sculpture. The light was concentrated through the lens and combined with the light from the other two flames. The resulting beam, now a nearly white shaft of radiance, was becoming difficult to look at. Daniella was too high now to see through the hole, but she imagined the beam was reflecting brightly off the top of the tower. _Only one more to light, _she told herself hopefully as she stared down toward the decorative canopy above the altar. It would be much easier to get down there than it was to get up, as the bottom of Gabriel's robe was close enough to the canopy roof that she could drop onto it without injury. Slowly and carefully, she made her way back down, noticing that descending made her quite a bit more dizzy than climbing, since she was constantly looking down. Her arms and legs were beginning to tire, but she pressed on, knowing she was nearly finished with the harrowing trial.

Finally, she reached the last fluttering strand of the bronze robe, and she crouched down, lowering herself feet-first toward the canopy. When she was hanging off the edge as far as she could go, she let go of the metal and her feet hit the smooth iron of the roof. It was so relieving to finally be off the statue, and Daniella took a moment to relax, and even smile a bit at her daring endeavor. Though it had been heart-poundingly frightening, the adrenaline in her veins gave her sort of a high. She hadn't thought herself capable, but here she was. Her curiosity now piqued, she wasted no time in making her way to the lens at the center of the canopy, where the three beams of light behind her were bounced and re-concentrated.

On her way there, thinking nothing of it, Daniella passed through the green beam of light from the statue, and suddenly she felt an intense heat, heard a sizzle. Gasping, she jumped back and examined the spot on her side where the beam had touched her. The medical gown was singed, a tiny hole burnt through it. _They really don't mess around with this stuff, _she thought as she approached the lens, weaving around the other beams, taking care not to touch them. When she stood at last in front of the final mechanism, she opened the last pouch, _Fire. _She noticed that this one didn't have a striking hammer, but was fairly certain after seeing how hot the light was that she wouldn't need one. Since the three beams were bouncing into the reflective dish where she was to put the powder, she poured the red material in from a good distance, careful to spill none of it outside the basin. Almost immediately, the brilliant beams ignited the powder, creating a fourth and final flame, its hue a vibrant, saturated red. This light was added to the three that were passing through the lens in front of it, and the resulting ray of light was such a brilliant, blinding white that Daniella had to shield her eyes. It had to be the brightest light she'd ever seen. She saw spots in her vision after looking away.

Staring up at the ceiling, she saw the luminous streak shooting into the night sky, seeming to lose none of its power as it hit the reflector atop the faraway roof. The reflector was bouncing the light at a tight angle, the end of the beam definitely close by. Daniella had a hunch she knew where. _The well. _That beautiful door in the garden. She'd known it to be meaningful, even before any of this had happened. She had to get back there, for she was positive that she would find the last piece of Leana Belli's legacy behind that door. She had been promised. Her heart beating faster with anticipation, she quickly returned to the edge of the canopy, climbing down the short distance to the floor. The footholds were much more obvious here, and she made it to the floor in a matter of seconds. Grateful to be on solid ground again, Daniella made haste down the short stairway and between the rows of pews, heading for the hallway leading out. When she was most of the way there, she paused, turning for one last look at the chapel.

Four multicolored flames burned brightly on the great sculpture, and the bright, colorful lines of radiance that they created changed the atmosphere of the room completely. It was no longer the silent, dark place where her deepest fears had been made flesh... it was now pulsing with life, the decorations reflecting light of every color, the entire room wrapped in white majesty. And the same thing had happened inside her. When she'd entered here, she was afraid of the woman she had been, wishing she was somebody else, and completely lost in the dark. On exiting, she was enlightened. She had faced the nightmare of her inner self and accepted her past, seen what it all really meant to her. The knowledge weighed heavily with pain and grief, but she finally understood where she fit into all this. There were still questions, but those were ones she could only answer for herself. Turning on her heel, satisfied, she left the chapel, heading back into the dark stone hallway.

She emerged into Leana's bedchamber, and though her initial reaction to the room was one of reluctance, she felt more at peace with the place, knowing everything here to be her own. She could remember the long, lonely nights spent in here, day after day, year after year. She remembered smashing the glass wall, put in place by Aureolus to keep her from the chapel, from God, the object of her obsession and devotion. The glass had cut her flesh and given her deep scars, which she had justified as the cost of salvation. What Daniella herself had seen in this room, the terrifying death in the closet, the dead spectre in the mirror... nothing but the reflection of her uncontrollably strong negative emotions, of returning to a place that held such trauma and anguish for her. "I didn't know how to make sense of what I felt here," Daniella said quietly to herself, lost in introspection. "So my mind took over. It fabricated everything." It made sense. But even now, she was unable to convince herself completely. Everything she'd seen had just been so real to her... And she couldn't _prove _that she was right...

"So what then? Her dead spirit is still wandering around here, waiting for some poor sod to show up so she can haunt them?" Daniella shook her head, refusing to entertain the idea. It may have seemed plausible when she was in the throes of terror, but the thought now seemed ludicrous to her. Still, in spite of herself, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her bones as she stepped through the broken pane of glass in the center of the room, and she looked over her shoulder a few more times than usual on her way out. _I guess I'll never really know._

Getting onto her knees, Daniella sighed dejectedly, then entered the cramped tunnel back to the garden. It seemed to take even longer than the first time. After what felt like an eternity of snaking down the passage on her belly, enduring feelings of nausea and general discomfort, she finally stood in the open, moonlit garden once more... and immediately, her eye was drawn to the new light. There it was, streaming through the panoramic window on her left, ending its long journey at the door at the top of the stairway across from her. The beam hit the door right in the center, striking the sapphire of the brooch and infusing it with a cerulean glow that cut through the night air. Everything the light touched inherited its alien beauty, the stairway around it appearing to her a path up into another world.

Enthralled, she made her way across the room, ignoring the idol and the crosses and the scratched messages, and all of the dementia and loneliness they represented. She was only seeing the guiding light before her. She felt the warmth wash over her as she ascended the flight of stairs that led to the spire above, feeling Leana's presence within her, her last testament ringing in Daniella's ears. Something very dear to her was inside this door. Climbing the last few steps, she stood in front of the swirling, sparkling gateway, feeling the angels' brilliance around her. Slowly, humbly, she reached out for the door handle, turned it once more. This time, it rotated with a resounding click, and the door swung open, the silver light spilling into the room.

Daniella stood before a modest, circular room at the top of a keep. A chill wind whistled through an open doorway to her left, the opening leading out onto a narrow, ancient-looking balcony. In front of her, velvet banners lined the walls behind an array of artfully crafted metal flowers, arranged in tiers of elegant vases and trellises, which drew the eye to a beautifully painted portrait of Leana. In the painting, she was resting her face on her hand, wearing a gorgeous blue evening gown, and she was smiling, she was really smiling. A look of perfect contentment lit up her face, and for the first time, Daniella saw her true beauty. She looked like a completely different person than the ice queen that she had become. It was below this painting, though, that the room's most defining feature lay. Raised above the floor, surrounded on all sides by the steel flowers, was an open coffin, made of red mahogany.

Daniella began to tremble. She was not yet close enough to the coffin to see inside, but she knew what she would see when she looked into the padded interior. Here was Leana Belli's final resting place. This was where Aureolus had laid her to sleep after stealing her life away. It was where her story ended. Daniella inhaled slowly, the emotions running deep, and began to walk forward. She was afraid, knowing she would see nothing but her own remains when she peered over the edge, but she also felt the need to confirm it for herself, and close the book on this dark chapter of her life. Reaching the edge of the coffin, Daniella looked down into it, composed, ready. But what she saw was not what she had expected.

Inside the coffin was a golden cane.


	39. The Last Flight of Hermes

**The Last Flight of Hermes**

The cane rested in the lining of the coffin, tall enough to reach from one end to the other. There was nothing else inside. It was a design that Daniella had seen before: two snakes, intertwined around the main staff, climbing to the top where they faced each other beneath an elegant pair of outstretched wings.

"Caduceus," Daniella said, surprised at the word coming out of her mouth. It was just like before... something that had been so foreign to her suddenly had a name, a deeper meaning. Daniella bent over and examined it more closely, wondering how old it was, the polished gold showing no sign of age or wear. She reached in, tenuously picking it up by the main shaft and feeling its weight. The cool metal felt good underneath her fingers.

Lifting it from the coffin, Daniella held it upright beside her, watching it gleam in the white light from the beam behind her. It stood nearly as tall as she was. Daniella stared at it, trying to figure out its significance, trying to understand what her progenitor had wanted her to do with it. There was undoubtedly symbolism here. She and Leana were the twin snakes, wrapped around the same cane. Their fates were intertwined like the sinuous bodies. The words echoed, still fresh in Daniella's mind. _When you bleed, it is my blood that pours from your wounds. When you cease to exist, so too shall I._

But surely it wasn't just symbolic. Daniella needed a direction, she needed to use this somehow. She racked her brain, thinking back, trying to remember if there was anything she'd seen in the mansion that had alluded to this, any doors it could open or mechanisms it could activate. She kept coming up blank. The only time she could remember seeing the caduceus was on that door in the torture room, and there had been nothing in there except a crest. Frustrated, she banged the base of the cane on the ground, causing a metallic clang. _Why would she lead me all the way here to give me a useless trinket? _Sighing, Daniella calmed herself, trying to consider it rationally. _No, she wouldn't have. This is important. She said time was running out. _What she'd meant by that, Daniella hadn't more than a clue, but she knew that somehow, she needed this. As she turned toward the coffin, another question began buzzing around her head; If Leana's remains weren't here, then where were they?

Shaking her head, Daniella resigned herself to ignorance. She would probably never know. Leana was most likely buried long ago, the casket here just a memorial for her. She couldn't imagine it had been Aureolus who had put this together... there had been nothing but hatred between husband and wife in the later years of their marriage. To think that she had loved such a monster to begin with was hard to believe... but Daniella could see the faded reflection in her mind now, knew the man he had been before alchemy had taken over his life. Once they had started a new life together, one free of the social stigma and backhanded murmurings of their incest, they had been like any other young couple, passionate, planning their life together, and absolutely in love. Their future had seemed so bright. Daniella sighed, knowing it unhealthy to take the depressing memories for her own. It was a different life, many years ago, and Daniella knew that she had a chance to finally make up for all that Leana had lost. Looking out the doorway beside her, she listened to the breeze blowing through... when she heard something else. A door creaked, feet fell on the stone behind her... whirling around, Daniella found herself face to face with Fendari, his ruined face just inches from hers.

Unable to suppress a cry of fright, Daniella jumped back, hitting the wood of the coffin behind her. How had he snuck up on her like that? She should've heard him well before he was in the room... Fendari was not looking at her, however. He stared toward the painting on the wall, his mouth hanging open. Daniella held the caduceus protectively in front of her and gripped it tightly, knowing she should run, but sure that the balcony was a dead end.

"What... what is this place?" he questioned, his voice betraying his confusion, still staring at the painting. Daniella remained still, trying to decide whether it was worth it to make a break for the stairway behind him while his attention was elsewhere. He turned his empty gaze down onto Daniella. _Too late._

"Leana... where are we? This place smells like you... That puppet in the other room, and those things carved into the walls... what is all this? Tell me!"

Daniella couldn't speak, so she just shook her head. Was it possible that in his many years here, he had never been beyond the padlocked door? She shrank beneath the gaze of the dark hollows in his face, knowing nobody could help her, gripping the metal cane tighter and preparing to hit him if she had to. His head turned, gazing upon the coffin behind her, and he suddenly moved forward and pushed her roughly aside, leaning over it. Shocked by his strange behavior, Daniella inched toward the wall, watching him. Fendari glanced up and down the casket, staring at the decorations around it, and Daniella heard him breathing harder, saw him gripping the edge.

"No. No, this isn't right. It can't be... NO!"

He banged on the wood, making her jump as his voice echoed. He was having some sort of inner turmoil, that much was obvious... but what was causing it? Was it the guilt of finally seeing the extent of Leana's torment and sadness after she'd been abandoned here? Or perhaps he had never really accepted the fate of the woman he had once loved. When faced so plainly with her death, perhaps his delusion that she was alive in Daniella came crashing down in one devastating moment. Whatever the reason, he was coming unhinged in here. And if anything, that made him more dangerous to her.

"You should not have entered here," his deep voice growled threateningly. He did not turn from the coffin, but Daniella saw his hand move to the sword at his waist. She inhaled deeply, inching toward the door to the balcony. There was no way she was getting back through the door behind him. She'd have to take her chances outside. He turned his head suddenly in her direction, swiftly pulling the rapier he had in a death grip from its buckle. He stood straight, towering toward the ceiling of the small room, taking a step toward her.

"The east wing is never to be opened!" he yelled, discomposed, an emotion she recognized lending the voice an unnerving edge. "The master forbade it! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Daniella stopped dead in front of the doorway, eyes wide in realization. It was fear in his voice. It was the same fear she'd heard in her own voice, the fear that had paralyzed her whenever she saw him, the fear that he'd fed on and used to torture and manipulate her. He took another step toward her, but Daniella decided at that moment that, whatever may come, she would stand her ground. This was a chance she wasn't going to get again, and something about what she'd seen and experienced in these rooms had made her strong. When she looked at him, she no longer saw the faceless monster he'd become, but instead saw a man she recognized, a gentle, honest man who had given her the love that she'd lost all those years ago. That man was as dead as Leana Belli, and had known the same anguish. All that was left was the shell that stood before her, the rabid, perverted product of too many years of mental and physical atrophy, acting out of desperation and madness. Pity replaced fear. It was time she started defending herself. _For you, Poppy, _she thought as she held the golden caduceus defensively out in front of her.

"Are you afraid?" she asked him, facing him like a combatant, her eyes locking onto the black scars where his eyes should have been. He stopped his advance momentarily, his head slowly cocking to one side as though he hadn't heard her right, his mouth contorting into a nonplussed sneer.

"What?" He let out a forced chuckle, tinged with arrogance, but Daniella also detected a nervous tension. "What could a pathetic, frail waif like you ever do to make me afraid of _you_?"

He started toward her again, his approach more forceful, and Daniella swung the cane in front of her, pressing the pointed base into the skin of his neck. He stopped again, letting out his breath in a snarl of anger, lifting his sword. Daniella saw it, forced herself not to back down. She was making a stand.

"Not me. You fear this place, don't you, Fendari?" she pressed, even smiling a little. "You don't want to accept what you've seen. The pain you endure, the same pain you're so quick to blame me for, suddenly it's all around you, seeping from the walls. You're as guilty as I am."

Daniella was striking out blindly, not knowing the reason for his apprehension, only knowing that he felt Leana's presence here as she had, and that it disturbed him. But she had theories. She knew she'd hit a nerve when he yelled in rage, thrusting aside the cane and marching menacingly toward her. She backstepped through the doorway, feeling the breeze on her face and the rough stone of the balcony under her feet.

"It was so much easier to ignore her when you couldn't hear her screams, wasn't it?" she continued, talking fast, holding the unwieldy staff across her chest. "Can you hear them now? Is it different, seeing her deathbed, knowing she cannot save you because you did nothing to save her?"

"LIAR!"

He thrust his rapier toward her abdomen, aiming for her vital organs, no longer trying to merely subdue. She knocked his sword away, swinging the cane wildly, still retreating from him. He screamed savagely, attacking her with a furious abandon.

"You DARE to accuse! AFTER WHAT YOU DID?"

A scream erupted unbidden from Daniella's throat as she fought frantically to parry another reckless stab. If she tried to hold her ground, she knew she would die... she backpedaled until she felt the crumbling stone of the railing behind her back. She looked over her shoulder, panicking. The spire they were on stood about two stories above the mansion's rooftop, and the large, round glass roof of the atrium, crisscrossed by steel supports, was almost directly below her. It was, potentially, a long way down. Fendari was suddenly upon her, his booming voice fire and brimstone raining down around her.

"DON'T EVER-" Another thrust, barely deflected, glancing off her side- "POINT YOUR FUCKING FINGER... AT ME!"

His left arm surged forth with an impossible speed, large fingers closing around her neck and pushing her against the railing. Daniella fought him tooth and nail, trying to hit him with the cane but unable to maneuver it in such close quarters. He pressed up against Daniella, the black holes in his cracked face boring into her.

"You are guilty of the worst kind of treachery!" he incriminated, tightening his grip on her neck, spittle flecking his lips. "We were going to escape together, and you gave me up to him! You watched him kill me in cold blood! And you dare... you dare make me feel as though I'm responsible for _your_ death? YOU SAID YOU WOULD SAVE ME!"

Daniella stopped fighting him, mastering herself, knowing it to be useless. She felt her body leaning over the edge, one shove away from plummeting to the rooftop below. If that was her fate, then so be it. She would not soften her answer, nor would she beg for mercy.

"I could never save you. Your heart withered and died long ago. Drink my blood and you'll taste only my poison hatred."

He growled in anger, denied the satisfaction of her fear, and pushed hard against the ancient railing behind her with his sword hand. Daniella heard the ominous grinding, felt the weak structure give beneath her.

"I'm not going to drink your blood." He leaned forward, his voice a low rumble, full of deadly venom. "I'm going to fuck you until your body is wasted and raw. I'm not going to stop until you pass out. And when you wake up, I'm going to fuck you again, Leana."

Daniella was unmoved by his threat. Her gaze did not falter.

"Leana's dead, Fendari," she said, her voice steady. "And her dying breath held no love for you."

Fendari's scowl deepened, his breath seething through his black teeth. Suddenly, in a fit of rage, he released her neck from his grip, instead pushing forcefully on her chest as his other hand shoved against the railing, tearing it from its foundation and forcing it off the edge. Daniella felt it crumble away behind her, and terror flooded her senses as she felt herself falling backward, unable to stop it. She let go of the cane as her feet left the balcony, reaching out reflexively and grabbing Fendari's hand. Taken by surprise, he lost his balance, and both of them tumbled over the precipice in a tangled mass. Fendari yelled in anger, but Daniella did not scream. The wind rushed past her ears as she fell, weightless for a moment, her mind racing, wondering if this was the end... then her side came down hard against the glass roof of the atrium, Fendari landing heavily beside her.

She heard it crack as they hit, but the glass held. The impact left her in a disoriented daze, and the stabbing pain in her right hip made her realize she'd probably fractured it, but she was alive and breathing. Struggling to her feet despite the agony shooting up her side, she stumbled toward the caduceus, which was sliding down the domed glass away from her. The cane meant everything to her, it was her only lasting legacy, the final piece of the great puzzle she'd left for herself. She slid onto her knees, closing her hand around it, letting out her breath... and then she felt a hand grabbing her hair, pulling her painfully to her feet.

"No more running, girl..."

With as much force as she could muster, Daniella lifted the golden cane and turned, swinging it in a tight arc, hitting Fendari in the face and crushing his jaw. He released his grip on her hair, cursing violently as his hands went to his face. Daniella fled onto the glass canopy, looking around her for anywhere she could escape to, anywhere she could hide... but she saw only the dark, barren rooftop underneath the clear black sky. There were no apparent passages back inside anywhere near her, and the roof was so vast and complex that she could spend hours searching up here before she found a way in. She turned back toward Fendari, who had recovered from the blow and was stalking murderously toward her, rapier in hand. A subtle tinkling sound reached her, and she looked down at the glass on which she stood, the bright, forested atrium spread out far beneath. Tiny fissures were expanding across the central pane from the spot where they had fallen onto it. It could give way any moment. Looking back at the advancing figure of her stalker, bearing down on her, she narrowed her eyes in defiance. _He's right, _she thought. _No more running._

"If you come any closer, I'll kill us both."

The ultimatum rang through the cold night air, and Fendari stopped his advance as Daniella raised the caduceus with both hands, the sharp base pointing toward the cracked glass pane on which they both stood. "And don't think I won't, because I have nothing to lose. You took everything from me, my life, my innocence, and my only friend. I swear I won't hesitate."

There was silence for a moment, interrupted only by the sound of the wind and the ominous cracking of glass beneath her feet. Fendari finally put his fingers to his forehead, chuckling, then laughing loudly at her, his voice full of malice.

"You still don't understand, do you?" he asked with a frenzied fervor. "You think to threaten me with so trivial a consequence as death? The concept has no meaning for me! You can kill me a hundred times and it will make no difference!"

"I know," Daniella said, tense arms still ready to drop the hammer at a moment's notice. "But if I die, your precious Azoth dies with me."

The grin on Fendari's face, faintly glowing in the darkness, widened. It was the grin of a man who knew that he had trapped his prey. Daniella's stomach turned. When he spoke, his voice was patronizing, full of disdainful sarcasm.

"Oh, I see. You think you have me figured out, don't you? You think I won't let you die."

He held the rapier in his hand threateningly, swinging it in front of him. A resounding _crack _erupted beneath them as the glass weakened.

"Well, _milady_," he said with nothing but contempt, the grin disappearing from his face. "Allow me the pleasure of proving you wrong myself!"

As he finished speaking the dire threat, he started to walk toward her, his step deadly and determined. Daniella knew that she had to go through with her promise. She would not be taken by this man, not ever again. With hands that did not feel like her own, she plunged the cane into the cracked glass pane beneath them. The glass shattered instantly, and suddenly they were falling once again, toward the atrium floor a hundred feet below.

Daniella was unable to breathe as she fell to what she was sure was her death. Warm light surrounded her body as the night sky disappeared, replaced by white walls and waterfalls. With a surge of hope, she realized that they were falling toward the large pool in the center of the room, and for one shining second she thought she might be okay... but an object began to race toward her, and she suddenly realized she wasn't going to hit the water after all. A massive stone pillar in the middle of the pool, one of the ones she'd moved to complete the waterfall, was directly beneath her. Her terror was brief, as she'd barely realized this fact before her body slammed into the stone.

The fall had been much shorter than it would have been if Daniella had fallen to the floor, so the impact did not kill her or even seriously injure her, though it did knock the wind out of her and she could immediately tell it would leave a sizable bruise. Her hands scrabbled against the smooth stone of the rounded top of the pillar, shaped like the head of Aureolus. There was a hole for water in the center, but she had already slid too far to grab onto it. Terror gripped her again as she felt herself sliding off of the sheer stone, unable to hold on. Two more harrowing seconds passed, and then her body fell from the stone, leaving her airborne once more. This drop was much greater than the first, and Daniella closed her eyes, trying to keep her body as straight as possible as she plummeted toward the water below her. She didn't know whether she could hit it from that great a height and walk away unscathed, but alive would have to do in her case. She waited for the impact she knew was coming, trying to think happy thoughts in case they were her last.

She plunged finally into the pool below her, vertically and feet first. She sank deep beneath the surface, but she'd hit the deeper end and the bottom of the pool did not hit her like she had feared. Realizing that she might actually be all right, she made an adrenaline-fueled push to get back to the surface, her legs and arms pumping desperately as she fought her way up, pain exploding from her injured hip. After a few tense moments, her head broke the surface of the water, and she took a deep, grateful breath of air. She stared frantically around her, seeing no sign of Fendari, though it was not him she was looking for. _There. _Lying a few feet beyond the shallow end of the pool, where she'd bathed earlier, was the caduceus. She swam as fast as she could toward it, and feeling her feet touch the bottom, she made a beeline for the edge of the pool in the waist-deep water. She approached the shore, allowing herself a flash of relief when the precious staff was nearly in her grasp... until all hope was dashed in the next instant. Fendari breached from the water in front of her, facing her, prepared.

In one swift motion, he stabbed her in the chest with the rapier, piercing her heart.


	40. Acta Est Fabula

**Acta Est Fabula**

Daniella's vision blurred. Inexplicably, she did not feel the intense pain she expected, instead experiencing only an unusual warmth passing through her chest. She found herself unable to breathe, and unable to take her eyes from her murderer's face. He stared back, taking her head in his hands, brushing her cheeks with his fingers. He brought his ravaged face close, touching his forehead to hers. She heard him exhale deeply, a sudden, all-encompassing silence drowning out everything but their breathing. Daniella raised a hand, in shock and disbelief, feeling the spot where metal merged with flesh. The sword had run her through completely, exiting through her back. She was dying.

She felt his hands leave her face as he drew away from her, then felt the object wrenched roughly from her body. Her vision was narrowing, a black haze swallowing the edges. It terrified her. She knew it to be the darkness of eternity. Holding the bloody sword in his hand, Fendari stepped forth, shoving her forcefully and crushing her body under his own as she plunged again beneath the water. He straddled her, pressing down on her neck with both hands, drowning her.

She heard him screaming something at her, but the words were lost in the water. Crimson blood and violet hair formed enchanting swirls in the water before her, mesmerizing her. Daniella was certain she was crying, her tears flowing into the ocean of regret around her. There was too much left yet undone... and her friends... she would never know if their fates matched her own. Unable to fight the strong hands that held her down, she could no longer hold her breath, and as she took a deep breath of liquid into her lungs, she felt as though she were back in the tank from which she was birthed. The same feeling enveloped her, like warm hands, like home. Vision faded to black, and consciousness with it. Her last thought was of her dog.

Daniella died, hopeless and alone.


End file.
